Beneficiaries of the National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP) in Katsina State have staged a rally across 361 wards of the state, seeking the sustainance of the programme after 2023.
The beneficiaries, who staged the rally on Sunday, also appealed to the Federal Government and the National Assembly to enact a law that would ensure continuation of the programme.
The rally was organised under the coordination of a Non-Governmental Organisation, ‘Social Protection and Good Family Values Initiative’.
Mrs Binta Abubakar, one of the beneficiaries in Rimi Local Government Area, said there was need for the government to make the programme a continuous one.
Abubakar, who is a beneficiary of the school feeding programme, said the rally came at the right time because most of the beneficiaries had been agitating for the sustainance of the programme.
“I have to commend President Muhammad Buhari for initiating the programme, to the benefit of Nigerians; through the programme, I have achieved a lot.
“From the monthly allowance, I was able to establish a business, sponsor my children in school, and also provide three daily meals for my family.” she said.
Also, some school pupils expressed their minds, sending their appeal to President Muhammad Buhari to make an arrangement that would protect the programme from being scrapped after 2023.
The state’s Coordinator of the organisation that initiated the rally, Mr. Mustapha Bara’u, said no fewer than 100,043 households in the state were benefiting from the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer.
According to him, “over 800,000 primary school pupils from JSS 1-3 are also benefiting from the school feeding programme across 2,777 schools”.
“Also, we have 10,502 food vendors and over 14,000 N-power beneficiaries, in addition to over 40,000 beneficiaries, who were enrolled under the government enterprises empowerment programme,” he added.
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He said the call for the enactment of a law to ensure the sustainance of the programme after the tenure of the present administration, followed series of agitation by the beneficiaries.
