17th July, 2022
By Stephen Adeleye
Nigeria has employed and trained 7,452 Independent Monitors to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the integrated National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP).
The recruits will work under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD).
Sadiya Umar-Farouq disclosed this at the inauguration of the training and onboarding of 3,000 Stream 2 Independent Monitors of the N-SIP in Lokoja.
The minister, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Monitoring and Evaluation, Mrs Bilikisu Dauda-Damisa, said the training and onboarding of the Stream 2 monitors took place on June 9 in Abuja.
She noted that Stream l had 4,452 Independent Monitors trained and enrolled in February and March 2021, while Stream ll had 3,000, totalling 7, 452 Independent Monitors across the country.
Umar-Farouq added that the ministry had provided working tools in the form of Tablets for them to carry out their monitoring activities on the field.
She said the NSIP was created by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 with the mandate of lifting citizens out of poverty through several Social Interventions.
According to her, the NSIP include Job Creation – NPOWER, National Home-Grown School Feeding (NHGSFP), Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).
Since NSIP commenced in 2016, over one million youths had been employed under N-POWER, two million beneficiaries under CCT, 10 million pupils under HGSFP and 230,000 under the GEEP intervention programmes.
She said the Independent Monitors were responsible for monitoring the NSIPs in their various communities in schools, households, and market clusters with the focus of ensuring that its primary objectives were achieved.
”Monitors are one of the most important components of the NSIP and the ministry lays special emphasis on ensuring its programmes were closely monitored.
”We have monitors in every local government area, where the NSIPs are being implemented,” she said.
In addition, she urged the independent monitors to work hand in hand with the state NSIP team and cautioned them against intimidation or harassment of beneficiaries.
”Any Independent Monitor found intimidating or harassing a beneficiary will be taken off the programme.
”Be informed that we have officials of the EFCC and DSS working with us on this programme, and those found culpable will be handed over to relevant authorities,” she said.
Meanwhile, the minister urged the participants to use the resources and working tools given to them judiciously.
NAN