The Federal and State Governments have invested 834,597,246.25 dollars since the inception of the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme in 2021.

The Permanent Secretary, Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Emeka Obi, made this known in his opening remarks at the Stakeholders Consultative on NG-CARES Programme 2.0, held on Thursday in Abuja.

Obi said that over the past four years, the programme had impacted positively on the lives and livelihoods of over 15 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

He said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to addressing holistically, the socioeconomic challenges facing the Nigerian poor.

“This value is also shared by the World Bank and this is indeed commendable, ” Obi said.

He commended the support provided by the States and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) towards the implementation of the NG-CARES programme.

” This is exemplified by the huge investments which have produced a cumulative earned results amounting to the sum of 834,597,246.25 dollars since the inception of the Programme in 2021.

” This is however less than the actual reimbursement to the States and FCT which stands at 645,742,514.60 dollars, representing about 30 per cent over performance.

” This is a testament to the deep commitment of the sub National Governments to own and institutionalise NG-CARES and Social Protection in the country, ” he said.

He disclosed that the NG-CARES programme had been extended by the Federal Government and approved by the World Bank to close on May 31.

” This is to give ample time to all stakeholders involved to conclude work on the design of NG-CARES 2.0. ”

He explained that the consultative meeting provides stakeholders with a unique opportunity to review the agreements reached so far, refine them, if need be and advise on strategies to achieve the programme’s objectives.

He added that the meeting provides stakeholders with a platform for fostering collaboration and synergy among all of them as they together build a more resilient and inclusive Nigeria.

He admonished participants to focus discussions in the course of the meeting on practical and actionable recommendations that would make the NG-CARES 2.0 more impactful and sustainable.

He stated that the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning was pleased with the outstanding results achieved under the NG-CARES programme.

”This reinforces our vision of providing strategic coordination and oversight for donor support interventions in Nigeria.

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“We will ensure that NG-CARES achieves its intended outcomes in the second phase.

” This is irrespective of the outstanding results from the current phase, already on the verge of being adjudged as we a highly satisfactory programme. ”

The Chairman, Federal Cares Technical Committee, Mrs Elizabeth Egharevba, said the programme has consistently lived up to its objectives in mitigating the economic hardships faced by poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

“As we near the conclusion of the current phase of this Programme, it is important to reflect on the significant progress we have achieved.

” These successes are not just numbers on a report but represent meaningful, real-life transformations in the lives of countless Nigerians.

” Such achievements would not have been possible without the unwavering commitment of implementing agencies at both the Federal and Sub-national levels.

” And the invaluable technical support provided by the World Bank. And above all, the collective dedication and collaboration of all stakeholders, ” she said.

The National Coordinator of NG-CARES, Dr Abdulkarim Obaje, said the Nigerian story must be different.

“China has done it, 300 million people removed out of poverty, India has done it too and Nigeria has the capacity to even do better than that.

“This is because we don’t have that large population and the capacity is in-house.

“We all have all it takes to do it and that is why we have all gathered here and we have been putting this efforts together for quite sometimes,” he said.