The Senate, on Tuesday, set in motion plans to transfer the National Social Investment Program Agency from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, currently manned by Dr. Betta Edu, to the presidency.
This, according to the upper legislative chamber, would ensure effective management and implementation of the national social investment programs.
Recall that NSIPA was created by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2016 as a social interventionist agency to provide humanitarian succor to the downtrodden.
The programs under the agency include the N-POWER Programme, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, GEEP, the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, NHGSEP, and the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, CCT.
Leader of the Senate, Bamidele Opeyemi, who sponsored the bill, argued that amending Sections 9 (3), 14 (1), 21 (1), 22 (1), 26 (1), and 33 of the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act follows the commitment of the renewed Hope Mantra of the President, Bola Tinubu, in ensuring that the Social Investment Programme remains standard, transparent, effective, and accountable.
Opeyemi emphasized that the transfer would put the agency under the direct supervision of the President.
He added that the move is in fulfillment of Section 17(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which provides that the state shall direct its policy towards ensuring that all citizens, without discrimination, have the opportunity of securing adequate means of livelihood and ensuring provision is made in deserving cases or conditions of need, among others.
The lawmaker says With this amendment, a wide range of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, including poverty reduction, education, health, social inclusion, and empowerment, can be achieved through the NSIPA.
In his contribution, the Senator representing Yobe North, Ahmed Lawan, pointed out that the Ninth Senate passed the bill, though its implementation was flawed because those who should be given support who are in rural areas are difficult to reach.
According to him, “In achieving social inclusion, monies would be distributed, but they have no bank account.
He added that the National Assembly must fully participate to ensure the capture of the beneficiaries that need support from the program.
In his contribution, Senator Seriake Dickson urged the lawmakers to use the opportunity to look at other issues raised during its implementation by the last administration.
He added that the amendment should include the mode of selecting the poor and vulnerable captured.
He says the government in the past had initiatives like trader moni and COVID palliatives without parliament approval.
He added that recommendations should be made.
At the committee level, how the programs are spread across the local governments
The Senate president expeditiously referred the bill to a committee of the whole house to be considered on the next legislative day, to allow senators to go through the bill.
