As different sections of the executive arm of the Federal Government are
now defending the 2017 budget proposals before the National Assembly, new
details are emerging on the continuation of the Social Investment
Programmes, (SIP)of the Buhari presidency, including a plan to hire
350,000 more unemployed graduates under the N-Power Volunteer Corps.
According to the Senior Special Assiatant on Media & Publicity to the
President, Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande, President
Buhari has requested appropriation of N157.75B in the 2017 budget
estimates for the N-Power scheme.
The N-Power is just one of the many SIPs that has so far drawn the
interest and praise of Nigerians across board, Akande observed adding that
a lot more is to come, especially this year, urging Nigerians to actively
come out and take advantage of the different schemes this year.
Out of the N-Power 2017 N157B 2017 budget ” 350,000 unemployed graduates
more would be hired and trained, alongside 50,000 non-graduates youths to
be engaged as artisans and in other creative ventures,” Akande disclosed
in his weekly update on the Social Investment Programmes on Sunday.
Under the N157.75B also, a sum of N4.5B has been earmarked for the
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM program to support
young Nigerians in building skills in those disciplines.
Akande who welcomed the great public enthusiasm the programmes have so far
generated, noted that the SIP budget proposals for 2017 are currently
being discussed this week at the National Assembly, and urged Nigerians to
expect more this year especially in the area of implementation as
virtually all of the SIPs are now undergoing different stages of
implementation.
“While we were able to engage 200,000 unemployed graduates last year, we
will do 350,000 more this year,” he assured, adding that some of the
teething problems are giving way to lessons that would smoothen
implementation under the 2017 budget.
Equally, under the 2017 budget proposals now before the National Assembly,
Akande disclosed that about N75B has been allocated for the National
Homegrown School Feeding Programme, which will provide one hot meal a day
to 5 million primary school pupils. He explained again, that this would
certainly be an improvement on how far the feeding programme has been
implemented so far under the 2016 budget which has so far attained the
feeding of about one million pupils.
The Spokesperson to the Acting President also stated that under the 2017
budget a sum of N112.2B has been allocated for the Government Enterprise
and Empowerment Programme aimed at providing interest-free loans to up to
1.2million market men and women, traders, artisans, youths and farmers.
Under the GEEP, he explained that beneficiaries will receive between
N10,000 and N100,000 loans with a one-time 5% administrative fee. Already
under the 2016 budget, over 20,000 Nigerians in about 14 states and
counting, have been benefiting from GEEP.
Similarly, the Conditional Cash Transfer which has kicked off in 9 states
would be further expanded under the 2016 budget and will reach more states
and much more Nigerians. The plan in 2016 budget targets one million
poorest and vulnerable Nigerians. And in the 2017 budget an additional
N54.98B has been allocated for the continuation of the N5000 monthly
social safety net payments to the poorest Nigerians.
Akande further clarified that while President Muhammadu Buhari has further
approved another N500B this year for all the social intervention
programmes, N100B out of it has been allocated for the Family Homes Fund
as already announced by the Ministry of Finance.
“2017 implementation of the SIP is going to be far more impactful than
what we were able to do under the 2016 budget, so Nigerians should expect
more this year, the resolve of the Buhari presidency is firm that more
lives must be touched positively under this programmes which Nigerians
have come to appreciate,” Akande concluded.