The federal government has released N438.4 billion as reimbursement to 34 states and FCT under the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme formerly known as Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus Programme.
The National Coordinator of NG-CARES Programme, Dr Abdulkarim Obaje, on Tuesday in a statement said the funds were disbursed based on the results achieved by the states and FCT during the third Independent Verification Agency (IVA) assessment carried out in January 2024.
The release of the fund was part of the government’s efforts to stem the growing tides of poverty in the country, especially in poor communities.
“From the earned results, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Plateau states emerged first three, earning N49,182,347,834.58, N27,204,679,444.17 and N26,312,588,262.79 billion respectively. Kaduna and Anambra states did not present results for verification during the exercise,” Obaje said in a statement by his spokesman, Suleiman Odapu.
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He expressed hope that all 36 states and FCT will participate in the fourth IVA exercise scheduled for September 2024.
He said, “This huge reimbursement is aimed at supporting state governments and the FCT in addressing the pressing challenges of multidimensional poverty and deepening efforts at improving the livelihoods and resilience of the poor and vulnerable segment of the population.”
Dr Obaje said these resources are expected to be targeted at social intervention programmes in the states and FCT.
He expressed confidence that the resources will be deployed generously to bring succour and meaningful improvements to the lives of many poor and underserved Nigerians.
He thanked the federal government and particularly the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, for the initiative and leadership provided to the programme which enabled state governors and the FCT minister to invest heavily in NG-CARES.
He also specially commended the FCT minister, state governors and staff of NG-CARES nationwide for the successes recorded so far under the programme.
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