Federal Government to Spend $7bn on Npower, Other Social Investment Programs in 7 Years

The Nigerian government has stated that it will spend at least $7 billion in seven years to pull 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

The government noted that the amount will be spent through its numerous National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs)

Investors King understands that the National Social Investment Programmes is a basket of federal government intervention programmes which include Npower, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) and the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT).

According to the  Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, NSIP which started in 2016 has become the largest government social intervention programme in Africa with about $1 billion budget every year.

The Minister noted that the programme was created to alleviate the financial and economic conditions of the poor and vulnerable Nigerians. 

Giving an example of the Npower scheme, Sadiya Farouq stated that the programme has helped a number of youths to become proud business owners, using the proceeds of their businesses to feed themselves and their families. 

She said, “Since its introduction in 2016, the programme has impacted positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable in Nigeria”. 

Farouq added that the Federal Government has also included another value-added programme called “N-Skill”. She noted that N-Skills is a certificate and accredited training programme designed for those without formal education. 

Meanwhile, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the National Social Investment Programme (Establishment) Bill, 2022.

The bill which aims to give all programmes under NSIP a legal backing and ensure their continuity will be sent to the National Assembly for debate and legislative passage. 

While presenting the bill to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq stated that “NSIP serves as an enduring legacy of this administration and is necessary to be backed by legislation at this time. Thus, the urgent need for Council to approve the NSIP Bill which seeks to provide statutory backing (to the programmes).

If passed into law and assented to by the President, this means all the NSIP programmes which include Npower will outlive the current administration.