Mr Ibrahim Jafar, the National Coordinator of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Programme has commended the Federal Government on its effective role in the implementation of the CCT project.
Jafar, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja said that the Federal Government had done excellently well to ensure that the programme was up and running.
NAN reports that CCT is one of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) of the Federal Government, in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
Jafar said that the CCT programme was a World Bank assisted programme, where audit and accountability of resources were very important.
“Initially, there were some issues and challenges bedevilling the implementation of the programme to the point that its ability to achieve the laid down objectives was in doubt.
“But with the coming of the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, things have taken proper shape. There is more optimism and they have done so well.
“The ministry under the able leadership of Hajiya Sadiya Farouq has an eagle eye on the activities of the programme. The ministry supports and supervises us 100 per cent on its implementation,” Jafar said.
On the programmes, Jafar said the implementation was done at the state level, adding that it was necessary for all states to be on same page to achieve the desired results.
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He said recently, it invited the permanent secretaries from the states, to meet, deliberate and chart the way forward for the programme’s implementation.
“This is a bottom-up system where we make policies, the state government implements the cash transfer. The employees at the state level are engaged in the implementation down to the local government level.
“That was why we invited them from the states to ensure that all the hitches we are facing at the state level can be addressed and also add more value to the programme’s implementation.
“We also invited the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Alhaji Bashir Alkali, so that those from the states can see concerted efforts being made by the Federal Government.
“This will enable them see that the Federal Government is in full control and interested to see that people are moved out of poverty,” Jafar said.
Other programmes under the NSIP include N-Power, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and National Home Grown School Feeding Programme.