×
  • News - North Central - FCT
  • Updated: May 05, 2021

N-Power: Reps Discuss Bill On Buhari’s Famed Scheme, TraderMoni, Other N-SIPs

N-Power: Reps Discuss Bill On Buhari’s Famed Scheme, Trade

The House of Representatives has moved to provide a legislative framework for the famed N-Power scheme, as well as other projects of the Muhammadu Buhari administration under the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs).

The bill, sponsored by Femi Gbajabiamila, the  Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 11 others, seeks to establish the NSIP for the poor and the endangered.

Leading the debate on Tuesday on behalf of the co-sponsors, Mansur Soro (All Progressives Congress, APC, Bauchi) said the bill seeks to establish the NSIPs Coordination Office within the federal ministry responsible for social development.

According to the lawmaker, the bill, if passed into law, will establish the National Social Investments Trust Fund.

He noted that current social welfare schemes such as the N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer, Home-Grown School Feeding Market Moni, Trader-Moni have no legislative framework to ensure proper implementation.

Soro said lack of legislative framework for the social welfare programmes is affecting “their purpose of establishment, capacity to deliver their mandate within time and inability to impact on transforming the lives of the teeming expected beneficiaries.”

Furthermore, the lawmaker explained that the trust fund will have a governing board and management team, to administer and coordinate the implementation of the social investment programme.

READ ALSO: N-Power Unpaid Stipends/NEXIT: National President Sends Message To Sadiya Farouq

NSIP Framework

The NSIP is a social welfare initiative created by the Federal government of Nigeria in 2015 under the direction of the National Social Investment Office (NSIO).

Under President Buhari, there is the N-Power scheme which provides young Nigerians with job training and education, as well as a monthly stipend of 30,000 (around 78.84 United States Dollar). There is also the Conditional cash transfer program which directly supports the most vulnerable by providing no-strings-attached cash to those in the lowest income group, helping reduce poverty, improve nutrition and self-sustainability, and supporting development through increased consumption; the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP), a micro-lending investment program targeting entrepreneurs with a focus on young people and women; and the Home Grown School Feeding Program (HGSF) which is the one way the government is attempting to increase school enrollment by providing meals to schoolchildren, particularly those in poor and food-insecure regions.

The programmes were initially under the office of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. However, they were moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in 2019.

The implementation of the programmes has also caused conflict between the members of the National Assembly and the Executive.

In August 2020, the Committee on Public Account of the House summoned the former minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, and her successor, Zainab Ahmed, over N1.7trillion appropriated to the NSIP since inception till 2020.

READ ALSO: N-Power Unpaid Stipends/NEXIT: National President Wonders Why NASS Have Not Intervened

In April 2020, Maryam Uwais, the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, also had a row with the lawmakers over the management of the programme.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and Gbajabiamila, have also criticised the implementation of the NSIP. Same with Oluwarotimi Agunsoye, the House of Representatives Chairman at Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Committee.

Also, in 2019, the First Lady, Aisha Buhari joined in criticising the scheme. She said the scheme failed to justify the money appropriated for the programmes.

On Tuesday, the bill was adopted without a debate and referred to the House committee on emergency and disaster preparedness.

READ ALSO: N-Power Unpaid Stipends/NEXIT: Your Silence Is Alarming - Scheme's National President To Buhari

Related Topics

Join our Telegram platform to get news update Join Now

0 Comment(s)

See this post in...

Notice

We have selected third parties to use cookies for technical purposes as specified in the Cookie Policy. Use the “Accept All” button to consent or “Customize” button to set your cookie tracking settings