Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has handed over engagement letters and tablets to 172 trained Independent Monitors in Sokoto states, under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
In a statement made available to Blueprint in Abuja Tuesday, signed by her Special Assistant on Strategic Communications, Halima Oyelade, the minister was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary, Bashir Nura Alkali.
Addressing the independent monitors in Sokoto, Farouq said that the devices are equipped with an application that will be used to report the monitoring activities of the trained independent monitors, who are expected to monitor designated number of beneficiaries of the NSIP for a period of one year, starting from June 2021 to May 2022.
She said: “The Ministry flagged off the training of 5,000 independent monitors for the National Social Investment Programme in Abuja on Thursday 4th February, 2021. The training was carried out across the country, including Sokoto state, from February to April 2021. The distribution of engagement letters and electronic devices for the trained Independent Monitors in Sokoto State is to enable them commence work.
“These devices are equipped with an application that will be used to report the monitoring activities of the trained independent monitors. All devices distributed for the monitoring of this programme are locally made in Nigeria and the monitoring application designed by an indigenous company. Independent Monitors must not reassign their responsibilities to a third party, but should carry out the assignment with utmost sense of patriotism, diligence and sincerity.”
Also speaking, governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal, represented by Hajia Kulu Abdullahi Sifawa, said the state has benefitted immensely from the Conditional Cash Transfer and the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, but solicited for more interventions for the state, especially in the remote areas that are not motorable due to the land mass of the state.
On their parts, the Director of the National Orientation Agency in Sokoto, Abubakar D. Mode, called on Nigerians to support the Federal Government to achieve the objectives of NSIP as the Ministry has programmes focused on bettering the lives of Nigerians, while the Sokoto NSIP Focal Person, Hayatu Tafida, implored the monitors to follow stipulated guidelines to benefit the state, describing the NSIP as the most impactful programme on Nigerians.
