The Federal Government has earmarked N66bn to further boost its four social welfare programmes namely Home Grown School Feeding, N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme.

Special Adviser to the President on National Social Investment, Mrs. Maryam Uwais

The Special Adviser to the President on National Social Investment, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, gave this hint on Monday during the commencement of a retreat at Tinapa Business and Resort Centre in Calabar, Cross River State.

She said an additional N80bn would further be appropriated soon for the interest-free loans as part of the four programmes which the National Social Investment Office domiciled in the Office of the Vice-President would be releasing to registered cooperative bodies in the country.

Uwais said that much of the money has not been released yet and that they have asked Bank of Industries to administer it for easy recovery of any due loan from defaulters.

“At least 4,500 graduates from Cross River State are participating in the N-Power programme with majority of them working as teachers in schools and others as agriculture extension workers. The remaining numbers are functioning as environmental worker force and they are all doing very well and the state is being supportive which is quite commendable,” Uwais stated.

In his remarks, Governor Ben Ayade, who was represented by his deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu, expressed happiness over the determination of the Federal Government to release funds.

He said it was increasingly becoming difficult for the state to intervene in social welfare programmes.

Ayade assured that the state would extend necessary cooperation to the federal agencies to ease work in order to reach out to the citizens.