Six thousand and three hundred and seventy beneficiaries of the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme, among other stakeholders in Kwara, yesterday appreciated the state government for the two-year intervention scheme, which they agreed impacted positively on their lives.
Some of the people, who spoke at different fora across the the state, said that the intervention had reduced poverty and hunger to the barest minimum and ought to be sustained for a longer period.
NG-CARES is a federal government’s support programme to state governments through the World Bank, to cushion the adverse effects of Covid-19 on the poor and vulnerable in the country.
It is a scheme specially designed to address the problem of hunger and poverty among the less-privileged in Nigeria and other Third World Countries.
Speaking during the monthly monitoring exercise to Kaiama and Baruten areas of the state, an NG-CARES stakeholder, Mallam Idris Salihu, described NG-CARES as a succour to youths in the area, saying: “it has addressed the problem of youth restiveness in Kaiama and other neighbouring communities unlike before, which is a plus for the state government.”
Mallam Salihu, who is the Community Development Officer (CDO) and the Desk Officer for the Programme in Kaiama local government, commended Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for facilitating the programme and believing in its ability to unlock economic prosperity in the state.
He said: “NG-CARES programme, in the area had impacted positively on the lives of the beneficiaries, just like the previous intervention programmes like YESSO and cash transfer.
“Besides, the volume of cash flow that is being injected into Kaiama economy every month as a result of payment of stipends to the beneficiaries, the intervention is enormous enough to alleviate poverty among the people,” he said.
He called on the state government to increase the number of communities participating in the NG-CARES so that more beneficiaries could enjoy the intervention.
Addressing the beneficiaries in all the communities visited, the monitoring team sensitized them on the need to use their stipends in the most judicious manner, and also save for the raining day through formation of cooperative groups.
Addressing the CDOs from the 16 LGAs at a recent meeting in Ilorin on the activities of Labour Intensive Public Workfare (LIPW) in the state, the Commissioner for Environment, Mallam Shehu Ndanusa Usman, charged the CDOs supervising the beneficiaries of the LIPW to inject more efforts to achieve an appreciable level of success for the scheme.
He commended the smooth working relationship existing between the staff of LIPW Delivery Platform and the CDOs, which he described as a good development for the progress of NG-CARES programme in the state.
He, however, appreciated the Technical Head, LIPW Delivery Platform, Alhaji Shamsideen Aregbe, for the achievements of the programme in the state, appreciating the Technical Head, LIPW Delivery Platform, Alhaji Shamsideen Aregbe, for the achievements of the programme in the state, stressing the commitment of the present administration to continue to unfold programmes that will bring succour to the poor and vulnerable people in the state.
Earlier, the Technical Head, Labour Intensive Public Workfare, Alhaji Shamsideen Aregbe, had lauded the state government for engaging in various schemes and programmes, which have contributed immensely to the upliftment of the standard of living of the poor and vulnerable people in state. Aregbe said the LIPW scheme has changed the story of 6,373 poor and vulnerable individuals across the 16 LGAs in the state, pointing out that some of the beneficiaries could not afford three square meals before now but today, the scheme has taken them out of poverty and now living better and comfortable in their various localities.
“It is evident that the LIPW activities under the NG-CARES Programme across the 16 LGAs in the state have brought considerable improvement in the standard of living of the poor and vulnerable people in all the communities of intervention.
“Besides, it has improved the economy of the intervening communities in terms of savings, consumption habit and the level at which communal efforts had transformed the various communities in particular and the state in general. It is obvious that the administration of Governor Abdulrazaq has changed the narrative of the state, most especially in the way he has used the NG-CARES programme and other similar programmes of the state government to impact positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable households in the State.”
