NSIP: FG, Lagos train 81 Independent Monitors

The Federal Government in collaboration with the Lagos State Government on Monday trained 81 Independent Monitors (IMs) for the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

Speaking during the training in Lagos, Mrs Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, said that the training of the IMs was to help achieve the aims of the NSIP.

Farouq, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Idris Shehu, said that the training was the onboarding of 3,000 IMs of the steam 2 training.

She said that the IMs would be provided with working tools in the form of tablets to carry out their monitoring activities on the field.

The minister said that the NSIP was created by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 with the mandate of lifting citizens out of poverty, through a number of social interventions.

According to her, the social interventions include the Job Creation Programme – NPOWER, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT), and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEF).

”The NSIP Independent Monitors are responsible for monitoring the programme in schools, households, and market clusters, with the focus of ensuring that the primary objectives of the NSIPs are achieved.

”Independent Monitors are one of the most important components of the NSIP and the ministry lays special emphasis on ensuring its programmes are closely monitored. We have monitors in every local government where the NSIPs are being implemented.

”Monitoring at the state requires that the Independent Monitors work hand in hand with the state NSIP team, as their work cannot be done in a vacuum.

”No intimidation of beneficiaries by an Independent Monitor will be accepted by the Ministry. Any independent Monitor found intimidating or harrassing a beneficiary will be taken off the programme.

”Be informed that we have officials of the The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Department of State working with us on this programme and those found culpable will be handed over to relevant authorities,” she said.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Empowerment, Mrs Yetunde Arobieke, said that over 190 IMs had been trained for the programme in Lagos.

Arobieke, who was represented by Mr Olujimi Ige, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Empowerment, said that the additional 81 being trained was an indication that the intervention in Lagos was increasing.

She said that the intervention programme had lifted many residents of Lagos from the poverty level, to even being employers of labour.