The federal government has released over N438 billion in reimbursement to 34 states and Abuja under the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme.
The spokesman for the Federal CARES Support Unit (FCSU), Suleiman Odapu stated this in a statement on Tuesday.
The national coordinator of the NG-CARES Programme, Abdulkarim Obaje, explained that the funds were disbursed based on the results the states and FCT achieved during the third Independent Verification Agency (IVA) assessment carried out in January 2024.
He stated that from the earned results, Zamfara, Nasarawa, and Plateau states emerged as the first three earning with N49,182,347,834.58, N27,204,679,444.17 and N26,312,588,262.79 billion, respectively.
Mr Obaje said Kaduna and Anambra did not present results for verification during the exercise.
The national coordinator hoped all 36 states and Abuja would participate in the fourth IVA exercise scheduled for September 2024.
“This huge reimbursement is aimed at supporting the state governments and the FCT in addressing the pressing challenges of multidimensional poverty. It will also enable them to deepen efforts at improving the livelihoods and resilience of the poor and vulnerable segment of the population”, he said.
Mr Obaje stated that the resources targeted social intervention programmes in the states and Abuja. He expressed confidence that the resources would be deployed generously to bring succour and meaningful improvement to the lives of many poor and underserved Nigerians.
According to him, this enabled governors and the FCT minister to invest heavily in NG-CARES.
The NG-CARES programme was designed to mitigate the negative impact of the socioeconomic shocks occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aimed at addressing other shocks by providing grants and basic social infrastructure services in poor communities.
The funds are channelled towards various projects, including social safety nets, food security, and small business support, adding that efforts were being made to ensure the assistance reaches the most indigent and vulnerable Nigerians.
The programme, which started in 2021, will close by December 2024.
