On Thursday, the Federal Government started distributing a grant worth N130 million to 6,511 disadvantaged people in the 34 local government areas of Katsina State.
Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management, and social development, signaled the start of the payout.
She claimed that the Grant for Vulnerable Groups (GVG) program of the Federal Government was used to choose beneficiaries.
“GVG was originally announced in 2020 as Grant for Rural Women to support President Muhammad Buhari’s administration’s social inclusion agenda for the underprivileged and marginalized.
The effort is in line with the president’s plan to bring 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next ten years.
Some of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians get a one-time payment from GVG of N20,000, particularly in the rural and semi-urban areas of the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT.
In order to help the beneficiaries escape poverty, she explained, “this will give them the tools to increase their productivity and expand their commercial activity.”
Given the effects of insurgency, banditry, and the high number of internally displaced persons in the state, the minister emphasized that Katsina State’s grant is among the highest in the nation.
“The president ordered that 30% of beneficiaries must be children and 70% of beneficiaries must be women.
Additionally, he mandated that at least 15% of the recipients be those with special needs, such as seniors and people with disabilities.
The minister stated, “It is expected that beneficiaries will use the grant wisely to increase their production, create wealth, create employment, and raise their standards of living.”
According to Umar-Farouq, she was in Katsina State as well for the launch of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP 2.0).
The program’s goal is to increase the opportunities and loans available to low-income, vulnerable, and underprivileged Nigerians engaged in profitable, unstructured, productive activities with modest financial needs.
It prioritizes the most vulnerable, including widows, young people, people with disabilities, and people who are displaced.
“TraderMoni loan, MarketMoni loan, and FarmerMoni loan are three distinctive products offered by GEEP.
“The N50,000 TraderMoni loan is intended to improve marginalized and underprivileged adolescents between the ages of 18 and 40.
“MarketMoni targets underprivileged and marginalized women, particularly widows and divorcees, among other vulnerable groups, with a loan of N50,000 as well.
According to her, “FarmerMoni loans range from N50,000 to N300,000 and are aimed for small farmers to boost their output and advance into commercial agriculture.
She continued by saying that the first phase of GEEP implementation nationwide was intended to help 353,316 individuals.
In the 774 local government units of the federation, 1,142,783 potential beneficiaries have registered for the program thus far.
“Only 59,161 potential beneficiaries in Katsina State were registered, out of which 13,000 have been confirmed to benefit,” remarked Umar-Farouq.