SIP: No sacred cows, says FG

The Federal government has assured that a level playing field
will continually be maintained in the execution of its Social
Investment Programmes (SIPs), warning anyone or group not to expect
to be treated as sacred cows.

The Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, Mrs
Maryam Uwais stated this at the weekend in Kaduna while addressing
Course 2 participants of the Kasshim Ibrahim Fellowship, a
mentorship programme designed to groom future leaders in
Nigeria

According to her, structures have since been put in place to
ensure that those who benefit from the various components of the
social intervention programmes are captured on merit.

She told the group of budding leaders drawn from various parts
of the country that gone are the days when a privileged few in the
society benefited from a government empowerment initiative designed
to reach out to the poor.

She said: “All applicants are encouraged to engage with the
processes in place if they need a job. The programmes are open to
everybody. You don’t need to know anybody to get enrolled into
N-Power, for instance.

“Same procedure applies to the cash transfer programme and other
components. We have done similar programmes in the past but such
efforts were not as effective because the drivers at the time did
not establish mechanisms and structures that aim at targeting the
poorest of the poor.

The presidential adviser revealed that the process of developing
a reliable Social Register in each State of the federation and the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was ongoing, noting that
well-trained people are being sent to the various communities to
identify the socio-economic needs of the people based on their
circumstances and peculiarities.

Recounting the huge impact the SIPs are making on the
beneficiaries, Uwais notes with delight that for the first time in
a long while, a government in Nigeria has consistently budgeted
definite amounts of money for its poor and vulnerable citizens,
irrespective of their party affiliations and ethno-religious
differences.

“Poverty doesn’t know culture, party affiliation; it doesn’t
know ethnicity or religion. Majority of Nigerians who are poor
don’t even have voters card or know what is happening in the
political circles. But government has a responsibility to each and
every one of them. You need to see how beneficiaries appreciate
what we are doing. A woman came with a big bag to collect just ten
thousand naira. When we asked why, she told us she hasn’t had such
an amount of money before and needed to be sure she could carry her
money home, after payment.

“The cash transfer programme goes beyond cash payments, as
community facilitators, who are staff within the LGAs, are trained
to visit them every week, to teach them how to form savings groups,
life skills, sanitation, nutrition and hygiene. Indeed, due to the
fact that the mentoring and support is embedded within the
communities, we have confirmed that these beneficiaries have so far
saved over N500 million, and are investing their energy and monies
in productive activities such as farming, animal husbandry, poultry
farming and rehabilitating community infrastructure”

She, however, bemoaned reported cases of extortion of a few cash
transfer beneficiaries by people who take undue advantage of their
vulnerabilities, limited knowledge of banking procedures and use of
gadgets to dupe them.

She also said that because cash payments come with several
hazards, steps are being taken to address this challenge as the
NSIO has started the process of mapping, to identify money agents
and financial institutions that would facilitate the transfer of
cash directly to the beneficiaries.

Uwais, a 1981 Graduate of Law from the Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria had earlier shared her life experiences with the
participants, urging them to always strive for excellence in all
their endeavors.

She admonished them to rise above ethnic and religious
sentiments and at all times put country first as they prepare to
take up leadership responsibilities.

Earlier in his remarks, Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir
el-Rufai thanked Mrs Uwais for honouring the invitation to speak to
the young ones, describing her as a woman of great conscience and
one of the few accomplished women in Northern Nigeria, who has made
outstanding contributions towards humanitarian efforts and social
justice in the country.