The National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) says it identified and registered 1.99 million poor and vulnerable households in 29 states.
The National Coordinator, NASSCO, Mr Apera Lorwakwagh said this at a Speak-out and Sit-out for Programme Success on Child Development Grant Programme(CDGP) organised by Save the Children in Abuja.
Speaking on the topic “A parable of Cash Transfer: Making a profit and
Making a Difference” Lorwakwagh said cash transfers provided an avenue
to absorb shocks of poverty and put the vulnerable at a clear position
for them to move on with their lives.
He said there were a lot of factors that drives people below the
poverty globally thereby hindering them from accessing appropriate
diet which affects them, so the federal government decided to help the
poor.
According to him, people always asked why cash transfers? Why N5,000?
Can it actually lift people out of poverty? Is it sustainably? I tell
you it does here is why we do cash transfers.
He said, “Before deciding on the amount, we did a cost of diet and it
showed that between N3000 and N5000 is what an average family needs
per month to put an appropriate diet on the table.
He said “Giving poor people cash transfers, is not only sustainable it
does add value, it is not a deliberate strategy to share money but it
is a strategic investment by government to build its economy, its
people and give them a better life.”
Lorwakwagh said study showed that an average poor family uses about 65
per cent of it on consumption.
He said it has created a chain of investment into government purse
because manufacturers of food now produce more and create employment
and pay their taxes.
He said that NASSCO had so far identified and registered 1.99 million
poor and vulnerable households in 29 states adding that the government
was getting closer to addressing poverty issues in no time.
Health and Nutrition Adviser, CDGP, Ms Mercy Jibrin said malnutrition
and stunting was a challenge in Nigeria adding that if not addressed
it could affect national economic development.
Jibrin said Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2018 NDHS) showed
that 37 per cent of children under five in Nigeria were stunted and 19
per cent were severally stunted and this is linked to malnutrition.
She said what this meant was that those children would have lower IQ,
brain interment, weak immune system, greater risk of diabetes, cancer,
obesity and have smaller statue than their peers.
She explained that on the long run such children would earn lower than
their pairs because stunting affects productivity both individual and
collectively.
She called for dietary diversity for children to give them the
appropriate meals.
Acting National Programme Manager, CDGP, Ms Ramatu Budah-Aliyu said
the project was a six year pilot program supported by UKAID and
implemented by Save the Children and action against hunger in Jigawa
and Zamfara.
Budah-Aliyu said it is the “last year of the program so we are
rounding off from implementation aspect of the program and moving to
phase two which is going to dive into system strengthen and capacity
building around social protection
She said the target of the program is to address the issue of
malnutrition particularly stunting in children.
“One is the cash transfer program which provides four thousand naira
to pregnant women, from the time they conceive till their children
reach the age of two.
“This is crucial because it takes care of the child’s first 1000 days
of life which we believe is the most critical aspect of development of
a human life.”
She said the second programme takes care of the behavioural change
communication focusing on nutrition behaviour adding that the two
programmes had rounded up.
