Kebbi State government has commenced disbursement of N200 million to 2000 beneficiaries as livelihood support grant under the second phase of the Kebbi-cares programme.
The State Deputy Governor, Senator Abubakar Umar Tafida flagged off the disbursement of the second phase of the program at a colourful ceremony at the Presidential Lodge, Birnin Kebbi this Monday.
‘ It gives me great pleasure to stand here before you today on this historic occasion of Kebbi Cares Grant Distribution to 2,000 worthy citizens of Kebbi State, in the continuous efforts of this administration service to the people.
” Occasions such as this, calls for special gratitude to Allah SWT for giving us the opportunity of charting a new course of making lives more meaningful to our people’, he averred.
The Deputy Governor highlighted on the dangers of idleness among youths which has subjected able-bodied persons to poverty, hunger and living in squalor.
According to him, the administration of Dr. Nasir Idris Kauran Gwandu deems it appropriate to support intervention programmes such as the livelihood support grant to make people gainfully self-employed and reduce poverty.
He appealed to the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the grants given to them and engage in meaningful trades that will support them and hopefully employ others in the near future.
Tafida also commended the KB-Cares Program for the remarkable effort in reaching out to people in need particularly the vulnerable.
The Deputy Governor flagged off the program by presenting N100,000 each through ATM cards to some of the beneficiaries.
The SSG, Head of Service and representative of the Emir of Gwandu made similar presentation.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Hajiya A’isha Usman, in her welcome address, said the target beneficiaries were the poor and the vulnerables to expand their access to livelihood and facilitate food security.
She explained that the disbursement was part of the Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus designed to last for two years.
Mrs.Usman announced that Kebbi State was the only State in Nigeria where beneficiaries get up to One hundred thousand naira as support while in other states of the country, beneficiaries only get thirty thousand naira.
This feat by Kebbi, earned the state commendation from the world Bank, she said.
She recalled that the previous under the program had distributed fertilizer of over 2.4bn to over 6,000 beneficiaries under the KB-CARES programme in June 2022.
She further explained that over 1,000 beneficiaries received livelihood grants of N100,000 to N150,000 each across the state in the first phase of disbursement under the KB-CARES programme.
The State Coordinator of the scheme, Hajiya Rukayya Muhammad Bawa, said the programme has targeted more than 28,000 beneficiaries, both males and females to engage in profitable ventures while emphasis would be placed on agriculture.
Rukayya enumerated a number of projects carried under the program which have direct bearing on the lives of people in the state
She added that, water schemes were converted to solar power, feeder roads and more class rooms were also constructed in towns and villages across the state under the program which is supported by the World Bank.
The Secretary to the State Government,SSG, Alhaji Yakubu Bala Tafidan Yauri, Head of Service, Alhaji Safiyanu Garba Bena, representative of the Emir of Gwandu, Magajin Rafi Alhaji, Sambo Aliyu, Permanent Secretaries and Special Advisers attended the program.
One of the benefiaries, Hajiya Maiburuji Gwandu thanked the State Government for the kind gesture particularly to the women which has improved their economic status.
