No fewer than 26,762 residents of Nasarawa State have been financially empowered by the Federal Government of Nigeria in its bid to eradicate poverty. Some of these residents received temporary employment through the FG’s N‑Power program, while others were granted loans to start or expand existing businesses under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar‑Farouq, disclosed these figures in Lafia on Saturday during President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)’s visit to the state. Buhari arrived for the inauguration of several federal projects and to attend the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally for candidate Bola Tinubu. The minister also reported that 198,238 pupils in Nasarawa are benefiting from the federal school‑feeding programme, and 144,000 households receive a monthly grant of N5,000.
Umar‑Farouq thanked President Buhari for appointing women to prominent positions in his government, noting that market women, farmers, youths and vulnerable groups have greatly benefited from the social investment programmes administered by her office. “Mr. President, we are here at today’s rally to thank you for keeping your promise to change the lives of the poor and vulnerable people of this country. The Conditional Cash Transfer, N‑Power, GEEP, school‑feeding programme, among others, are truly helping citizens live better lives. Since independence, no government has done what you have done for the poor, and we will remain grateful,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries of the Farmer Moni component of GEEP, Josuah Peter, spoke on behalf of all federal programme beneficiaries in Nasarawa State. He expressed gratitude to President Buhari for the opportunity to earn a living and pledged not to disappoint him or the programme leaders in the state.
Comments are closed for this story.