The Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Project, Prince Abdulkareem Onyekehi Suleiman says plans have been concluded for the commencement of the second phase of the various Intervention Programs targettted at alleviating poverty in the state.
Prince Onyekehi disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Lokoja.
The Special Adviser who is also the Focal Person on National Social Investment Programs established by the Federal Government said the second phase would pave way for more beneficiaries including the poor and vulnerables, unemployed graduates, school pupils, farmers and petty traders.
He emphasised that the N-Power Program which over twelve thousand unemployed graduates benefitted from in batches (A & B) is currently onboarding batch (c) stream (1and2) graduates who are currently undergoing biometric enrollment for final deployment.
According to him, over thirty four thousand indegent people are currently benefitting from the conditional cash transfer and assured that the gesture would be extended to over seventy two thousand people in the state.
He also disclosed that the Home Grown School Feeding Program which was hampered by the outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic would resume on Thursday this week across the twenty one Local Government Areas of Kogi State.
On Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP) with zero interest loan rate for trader,market and farmer Moni, the Special Adviser said beneficiaries would be able to access between fifty to two hundred and fifty thousand naira as the case may be.
He further explained that the program is jointly anchored by both federal and state government noting that Governor Yahaya Bello’s contributions in logistics; including befitting edifice, equipments for effective management of the National Social Investment Program, payment of salaries, and sensitisation has made Kogi State to be rated as the one of the best in the country.
According to him, the Federal Government had so far injected over seventeen billion naira in the state since the inception of the program noting that various anti graft agencies were involved to ensured transparency and accountability in the process.