The Federal Government has again reiterated its commitment to restoring the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable Nigerians, maintaining food security and facilitating the recovery of Medium and Small Enterprises affected as a result of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic through its NG-CARES programme.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba made this known in Ibadan during a ministerial town hall meeting for stakeholders in Oyo.
Agba, whose message was delivered by the Chairman, NG-CARES Technical Committee, Aso Vakporaye, commended the visionary leadership of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration for providing the guiding vision and directing mandate to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the period of 10 years.
He explained that the town hall meeting was initiated by the ministry to promote open and transparent governance where citizens participatory engagement is further strengthened within the framework of Buhari’s government of social accountability.
The minister said, the government in an effort to scale up its programme under the social protection agenda and to respond swiftly and appropriately to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, accessed a world bank concessional loan in the sum of 750 million dollars on behalf of the 36 states and FCT to stimulate the local economy and increase household’s consumption among the poor and venerable segment of the society.
The minister stressed that the programme is one of the policy options explored by the administration to achieve the objectives. Reports say in about a year of full implementation, it has impacted over two million direct beneficiaries.