The Federal Government has trained a total of 86 independent monitors to ensure effectiveness of its Integrated National Social Investment Programme (INSIP) in Ondo State.
Hajia Sadiya Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, who was represented by her Technical Adviser, Mrs. Kemisola Oluwasetemi, said this at the training of the monitors on Saturday in Akure.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INSIP, which include School Feeding, Traders Money and Conditional Money Transfer, was created to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources to vulnerable populations, including children, youth, and women The programme, which also works with local traders and farmers, empowers women as cooks, building the community and sustaining economic growth of the country.
NAN reports that the 86 Independent Monitors, who were drawn from across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State, will be reporting to the ministry once every month.
The minister said the independent monitors would be assigned to monitor programme beneficiaries within their localities in schools, households and market clusters with the focus of ensuring that primary objectives of the programme are achieved.
The National Social Investment Programme is being expanded. So, for effectiveness, we need more hands to monitor the people carrying out the intervention with a view to giving us robust feedbacks.
“When you are dealing with a large spectrum of people, as many as 20 to 26 million Nigerians, there are bound to be people who will lack integrity, and may want to divert money meant for the people or food meant for the children for their personal use.”
“To guide against this, we are bringing on board the independent monitors to ensure that they properly monitor the people that will be carrying out this government intervention to the people.”
“And we have warned the monitors not to collaborate with the people to perpetrate any kind of fraud, as the consequence will be severe on anyone caught with fraudulent acts,” the minister said.”
Mrs. Bunmi Ademosu, INSIP Focal Person in Ondo State, said that the independent monitors, the vocal person and the programme manager for each state would work in conjunction with the National Orientation Agency in their state to ensure the success of the programme.
Some of the independent monitors, who spoke with NAN, expressed joy and gratitude to the federal government for being chosen for “this informing and educating assignment”.
Miss Oluyemisi Agbaje, who will be monitoring beneficiaries in Akure North Local Government Area, described the various poverty alleviating programmes in the INSIP as strategies to reduce poverty to the barest minimum in the society.