FG: 2m Nigerians Benefited from Govt’s Poverty, Growth Strategy Projects in 2022

* Osinbajo-led committee approves N250bn for project execution in 2023 budget

* Creates 4.5m jobs in rural roads construction

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

No fewer than two million vulnerable Nigerians from across the country benefited in year 2022 from projects implemented under the federal government’s National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).

According to a progress report presented at the NPRGS Steering Committee meeting, chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja, about 1.6 million smallholder farmers were also impacted under the Agriculture for Jobs Plan.

The breakdown and other details of the progress report presentation was contained in a release issued  on Thursday by the media aide to the Vice-President, Laolu Akande.

Besides, 13,000 youths have been trained under a Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme in six states comprising Lagos, Ogun, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna and Nasarawa, while arrangements are under way to provide similar training for 2,000 beneficiaries in Edo State.

Also, more than 8,000 Nigerians were employed in rural roads construction under the Rural Roads programme, which built 40 rural roads in 120 communities, covering about 57.3 km across the country.

The NPRGS implementation monitoring update, presented by the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, said: “Following the release of N50 billion, programmes that have achieved 100% completion include: Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP),and Construction of Rural Roads, among others.

“A total number of direct beneficiaries of the implemented programmes currently stands at 1,818,782 vulnerable Nigerians and a total of 9,527 Nigerians have also been directly employed through the implementation of the programmes so far.”

Additionally at the meeting, the committee approved the sum N250 billion for the execution of projects for the year 2023.

Projects scheduled for implementation under the NPRGS for the year include:

The provision of 100,000 homes for low-income earners which will create 1 million jobs directly and indirectly, expansion of energy access by providing 1,200 solar street lights in rural communities and six mini-grids for high-capacity productive farming under the Solar Naija Programme, creation of 4.5 million direct and indirect jobs through the Rural Roads programme which targets to connect about 750 rural markets.

Others are provision of N9 billion support for over 1.6 million vulnerable smallholder farmers for the 2023 wet season farming under the Agriculture for Jobs Plan, and expansion of the National Social Register with additional 3 million households.

In an interview with newsmen after the meeting, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, who is also the Co-Chair of the Technical Working Group for the Committee, said though implementation has not reached the expected levels, efforts are under way to touch each of the targeted 15 areas of implementation.

According to him, “Today, we just came to review the implementation and update on the spending on the projects so far and approval for this year’s projects for the same scheme.

“Based on what was received from the co-chair of the Technical Working Group, over N50 billion have been spent so far. The performance so far hasn’t reached the level we expected. But nearly every aspect of the 15 areas targeted is being implemented in one way or the other.”