From Samuel Bello, Abuja
The Federal Government yesterday said it had developed national social register, covering 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the moment, using computer aiding devices.
National Coordinator of the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), Peter Papka, made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of the training of community-based targeting team members in Abuja.
Papka, who reaffirmed government’s determination to implement the social investment programme, lamented that government officials had taken advantage of the poverty situation, using it as a means of patronage.
“One of the fundamental reasons government has been spending a lot on poverty reduction, and yet poverty is not reducing, is because those in the government office and political class use it as means of patronage, and that needs to be addressed to avoid further waste of money.
“There doesn’t seem to be any avenue that provides for the coordination of some of these programs, particularly within the context of the methods being used to target the poor, even with the several interventions going on in the country,” he stated
Also speaking, FCT Minister, Mohammad Bello, said 6,464 volunteers from the territory have been enrolled in the N-power programme and effectively deployed to agencies of government in the areas of education, health and agriculture.
Regarding the N5,000 stipend to the poorest of the poor, the minister said: “Out of six area councils in the FCT, Abaji, Kwali and Kuje have been selected according to the poverty ranking of the FCT, as first entry point. The next round of the Area Councils will commence until complete state enumeration is covered.”
He said the FCT also benefits from the school feeding programme for primary school children as well as the enterprise and empowerment programmes of the federal government.