Gbajabiamila Promises Expedite Consideration, Transmission of NSIP Bill for Presidential Assent
- NYSC seeks inclusion into NSIP Board, Trust Fund
Udora Orizu in Abuja
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Thursday assured Nigerians of the 9th Assembly’s resolve to expedite action by transmitting the bill, which seeks to provide legal framework for the establishment of National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
Gbajabiamila gave the assurance while delivering his address at the public hearing on the bill, which also seeks to assist and empower the poor and vulnerable across the country, held by the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation.
Represented by the House Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, the Speaker underscored the need for continuity and accountability in the implementation of various social investment programmes by relevant agencies and build social safety nets for the less privileged.
While urging stakeholders to give thoroughness to best practices in NISP, the Speaker affirmed that government has the statutory responsibility of providing for the welfare and well-being of the people.
In his remarks, the Chairman, House Committee on Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Abdullahi Salame, said that the NSIP was initiated in response to the challenges of vulnerable Nigerians.
He said that the federal government has been employing youths through the NSIP and feeding school children, adding that this had reduced out-of-school children and also improve literacy rate.
He said that the programmes have met its desired goal with the attendant growing number of beneficiaries, adding that it was a fundamental reason to give a legal backing to institutionalise the NSIP.
In his presentation, the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Bashir Alkali, said that the NSIP was a response by the president to help the vulnerable.
He listed the NSIP to include N-Power, the National Home Grown School Feeding and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), among others.
He said that within the six years of its implementation, it has recorded very great achievement, stressing that there was need to sustain it with legal framework in form of a bill.
On his part, the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, who expressed support for the proposed bill, however, called for the inclusion of youth-based poverty alleviation programmes that will cater for the teeming youth population across the country.
The NYSC Director General, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Mr. Chris Ogar, also canvassed that NYSC should be included in the NSIP Board and Trust Fund, considering the vital role being played in terms of skill acquisition and youth empowerment programmes for serving youth corps members across the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital territory (FCT).
