A civil society organisation, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), has clarified that the Social Investment Programme (SIP) of the federal government has made a lot of progress by lifting people out of poverty.
The SIP of the government in which the conditional cash transfer policy is part of was designed to lift the poorest of the poor in the country out of poverty.
The Centre also explained that social protection across the world, Nigeria inclusive, were designed to lift people out of poverty riding on the principle of protection, prevention and promotion so that beneficiaries of the programme at the end, become human capital that could further open opportunities for other citizens.
The Ag. Executive Director of the Centre LSD Mr. Monday Osasah, made the clarification in a rejoinder to a story published in THISDAY titled, ‘FG’s Social Investment Programme Not Lifting People Out of Poverty, Says CSO.’
He claimed the facts in the report were entirely misleading and aimed at pitching the Centre against the Social Investment Office, which the organisation had been working with through Action Aid as third party monitors.
Osasah said, “The position of Centre LSD on Social Protection is clear to citizens that have engaged the Centre on the subject. Centre LSD just few months ago organised a dialogue on Social protection, where it chronicled the usefulness of social protection in lifting people out of poverty. The ILO also has documented the 100 years of Social Protection and the benefits it has in lifting people out of poverty.
“The Centre had implemented a project, Feed the Future project in Kebbi State with support from USAID that had conditional cash transfer as a component, with evidences of numerous households graduated out of poverty – 1,264 households benefited from the Conditional Cash Transfer programme.
“The report of the third party monitoring of the National Social Investment programme which we are currently part of with Action Aid, show clear evidences of the impact of the programme across the country, so it is surprising for me to be quoted that the project which we are part of with our record showing evidences of progress being made is not lifting people out of poverty.”
“I like to state that in my interaction with the reporter, there was no mention that the Nigeria Social Investment programme is not lifting people out of poverty in Nigeria. But that social protection across the world Nigeria inclusive are designed to lift people out of poverty riding on the principle of protection, prevention and promotion so that beneficiaries of the programme at the end, become human capital that could further open opportunities for other citizens. That beneficiaries should in addition be supported with education, healthcare and food security,” Osasah added.
