SURE-P: 15, 997 beneficiaries in S/East receive N1.994bn

About 15,997 beneficiaries of the Community Services, Women and Youths Empowerment (CSWYE) project of SURE-P in the five South East states have received a total of N1, 944,283,600.00 as stipend and running costs.

CSWYE project is a sub-component of the Social Safety Net Programme (SSNP) of SURE-P initiated in 2012 by the federal government to apply the savings from oil subsidy removal to human capital and infrastructure development projects that would promote living conditions of ordinary Nigerians and promote economic growth.

Minister of labour and productivity, Emeka Wogu, dropped the hint in Umuahia while on a sensitisation and appraisal tour of the five south East States as part of his sensitisation and appraisal visit to the state and the south east geo-political zone of the CSWYE Project.

He said that the investment yielded not only economic empowerment of the beneficiaries but also labour input for delivery of 2288 community service points in the LGA of the five states, mainly on environmental sanitation and vigilante, with a total man hours output of 2,998,429.

There are about 3497 CSWYE beneficiaries in Abia state, made up of 2045 males and 1452 females, all working in 131 service units in the 17 LGAs of the state, all making a total of 587,722 man hours output.

Between February and December 2013, the beneficiaries received N298,667,600.00 as stipends, while N33,947,000.00 has been remitted to the state as running/management cost between January 2013 and January 2014, all amounting to N332,614,600.00.
Wogu also revealed that the entire south east is also benefitting from other SURE-P components. MCH of SURE-P, he said is working in the South East to reduce maternal and child mortality and morbidity, while a total of 120 primary health centres have been rehabilitated under the scheme in the zone.

Responding, Gov. Orji urged the federal government to sustain SURE-P as it has impacted on the down troden in the society and touched all sectors of the state economy, including education, youth empowerment, and health.