Niger State: Covid-19 Stimulus Programme Launched, Funds Disbursed To Communities, Groups
According to the Niger State Government, the NIGER-CARES Project is an intervention programme that is aimed at mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on poor and vulnerable households.
The state government had stated this as it spoke through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, while it launched the commencement of NIGER–CARES and the distribution of cheques to benefitting communities and groups that was organised by the Niger State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) and held at Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna.
Matane had explained that the disbursement of funds to groups was a poverty reduction strategy as well as supporting micro and small-scale enterprises as a means of stimulating the economic growth in a post-COVID-19 era thereby bringing people out of poverty. He pointed out that due to the leadership and political will that was provided by the State Governor,
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Alhaji Abubakar Sani-Bello, Niger State was ahead of many states in this endeavour and expressed his optimism that the implementation of the programme would improve the living standards of communities to get back on their feet. Therefore, he urged the benefitting communities and groups to utilise the funds for the purpose it was meant for and to not allow any form of hijack by anybody.
In his earlier remarks, Alhaji Zakari Abubakar, the Commissioner, Niger State Planning Commission, encouraged for the people of the state to take advantage of the opportunities provided by NIGER-CARES to enhance their means of livelihood and reduce the spate of poverty in their communities.
Yusuf Ahmed Usman, the General Manager, Niger State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), announced that the State Government had released the sum of N248,854,184 to the agency for the provision of social basic infrastructures to communities and groups in all the 25 Local Government Areas in the State.
He explained that communities and groups that would benefit from the disbursement included the Aghumai Bari group, Paikoro LGA, Soje B, Chanchaga LGA, Talwood community, Wushishi, Chingini Enazan, Edati LGA and Association of the blind, Kontagora LGA.
He also stated that over N60 million had been disbursed to the communities and groups to commence the implementation of the following chosen micro-projects: drilling of solar boreholes with an overhead tank, renovation of a health clinic, renovation of learning centre and provision of learning materials.
Highlights of the occasion were goodwill messages from different stakeholders and cultural performance.
