Within the framework of the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Program, the federal government has disbursed about N438 billion in reimbursement to 34 states as well as Abuja.
The Federal CARES Support Unit (FCSU) spokesman, Suleiman Odapu, made this claim in a statement on Tuesday.
Abdulkarim Obaje, the NG-CARES Program’s national coordinator, clarified that the funding was distributed in accordance with the outcomes the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) attained in the third Independent Verification Agency (IVA) evaluation, which took place in January 2024.
According to the earned results, the states of Zamfara, Nasarawa, and the Plateau came out on top, earning N49,182,347,834.58, N27,204,679,444.17, and N26,312,588,262.79 billion, in that order.
But according to Mr. Obaje, Kaduna and Anambra failed to submit their exercise findings for validation.
The fourth IVA exercise is slated for September 2024, and the national coordinator hoped that all 36 states as well as Abuja would take part.
“The major goal of this enormous compensation is to assist the federal government and the state governments in tackling the urgent problems associated with multifaceted poverty. Additionally, it would allow them to intensify their efforts to enhance the resilience and standard of living for the impoverished and vulnerable population, the speaker stated.
According to Mr. Obaje, the funds were intended for social intervention initiatives in Abuja and the states. He conveyed assurance that the funds would be liberally used to support and significantly enhance the lives of numerous impoverished and neglected Nigerians.
He said that this allowed the minister of the FCT and the governors to make significant investments in NG-CARES.
The goal of the NG-CARES initiative is to lessen the adverse effects of the socioeconomic shocks brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic. By giving disadvantaged communities subsidies and basic social infrastructure services, it also sought to remedy other shocks.
The money is going toward a number of initiatives, such as small business support, food security, and social safety nets, and it is stated that measures are being taken to guarantee that the aid reaches the most vulnerable and impoverished Nigerians.
The program will end in December 2024, having begun in 2021.
