The House of Representatives has expressed determination to expedite action by transmitting a Bill for an Act to provide legal framework for the establishment of National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, made the commitment on Thursday, in Abuja during the public hearing of the Bill organised by the Committee on Poverty Alleviation.
The Bill seeks to provide legal framework for the establishment of social investment programmes for the assistance and empowerment of poor and vulnerable in Nigerian.
The Speaker, represented by Rep. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, the majority Leader of the House, said that there was the need to ensure continuity and accountability in NISP.
He added that it was also imperative to build a social safety net for the less privilege.
Gbajabiamila who, urged stakeholders to give thoroughness to best practices in NISP, added that there was a need to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of the people.
He maintained that there was a need to protect the people’s best interest, stressing that the National Assembly would ensure it transmitted the Bill to the President in the best possible time.
Doguwa, while speaking in his capacity as the leader of the House, said that the initiative to help vulnerable Nigerians by Buhari was unprecedented.
He said that the Bill was imperative because it was a legislation that would through the Federal Government delivered welfare on the livelihood of Nigerians.
He commended the president for creating the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, which he described as a special ministry, with a direct and social impact on the people.
“I have received over 200 calls this morning from my constituency, telling me they have received alert of N-power.
“We have never had a president like Buhari that has impacted positively on the lives of ordinary Nigerian. We will continue to partner with the executive to ensure we deliver the dividends of democracy,” he said.
Rep. Abdullahi Salame, Chairman, House Committee on Poverty Alleviation, said that the NSIP was initiated in response to the challenges of vulnerable Nigerians.
He said that the Federal Government had been employing youths through the NSIP and feeding school children, adding that this had reduced out-of-school children and also improved literacy rate.
Salame said that the Programmes had met its desired goal with attendant growing number of beneficiaries, adding that it was a fundamental reason to give a legal backing to institutionalise the NSIP
Mr Bashir Alkali, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, said that the NSIP was a response by the President to help the vulnerable.
He listed the NSIP to include, Npower, the National home grown school feeding, conditional transfer among others.
He said that within the six years of its implementation, it had recorded very great achievement, stressing that there was need to sustain it with legal framework in form of a Bill.
“We hope the committee will conclude the assignment in the shortest possible time and give it the requisite legal framework,” he said.(NAN)
