The Kwara Government on has commenced the disbursement of N20,000 grant each for at least 2,655 poor and vulnerable indigenes of the state under the Federal Government’s Grant Vulnerable Groups (GVG) programme.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in partnership with the Kwara government launched the second phase of the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP 2.0).
NAN reports that it is another loan scheme of President Muhammadu Buhari designed to benefit 6,086 farmers, business owners, widows and divorcees across the state, through the National Social Investment Programme (N-SIP).
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, said the cash grant is part of the federal government’s social inclusion agenda to raise millions of Nigerian citizens above the poverty line.
“We are here to flag off the Grant for Vulnerable Groups programme (GVG) in Kwara. It is President Muhammadu Buhari’s fulfillment project that was introduced in 2020.
“To sustain the social inclusion agenda of the federal government to lift 100,000 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years,” she said.
Represented by the Director of Social Development in the ministry, Taiwo Bashorun, the minister said the 2,655 prospective beneficiaries were drawn from across the 16 local government areas of the state.
“The GVG is designed to provide a one-off cash grant of N20,000 to the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians in rural and peri-urban areas across the 36 states of the federation including FCT.
“Our target in Kwara is to disburse the grant to at least 2,655 citizens across the 16 LGAs of the state.
“Mr President has directed that 70 per cent of the beneficiaries must be women.
“While 30 per cent is reserved for youths, with at least 15 per cent of them expected to be Persons With Disability (PWDs) and the aged people in the state,” she said.
She commended Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for the synergy and how the state subscribed to the federal government’s social investment programmes and other economic policies, especially the proper handling of N-SIP initiative in the state.
NAN