Abuja claims to spend N50b, poverty alleviation scheme done 100%
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Abuja says it spent N50 billion in 2022 to cater for poor folks under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) targeted at vulnerable households, and a new N250 million would be disbursed for it in 2023.
Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, explained in a statement the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan and other programmes carried out in 2022 were done 100 per cent.
The statement was based on the outcome of the NPRGS Steering Committee meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
“Following the release of N50 billion, programmes that have achieved 100% completion include the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP) and Construction of Rural Roads, among others,” Finance Minister of State Clem Agba said while presenting the implementation update on NPRGS at the meeting.”
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Direct beneficiaries
“A total number of direct beneficiaries of the implemented programmes currently stands at 1,818,782 vulnerable Nigerians, and a total of 9,527 Nigerians have also been directly employed through the implementation of the programmes so far,” Agba disclosed.
The committee approved N250 billion for the execution of projects for 2023, the statement added, according to Daily Post.
It said the next phase of the project execution includes providing 100,000 homes for low-income earners, 1,200 solar street lights for rural communities, and N9 billion in support funds for 1.6 million vulnerable smallholder farmers.
However, Nigeria’s poverty rate in 2022 remained at 63 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
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