News: SURE-P Receives N180bn From FG

Retired General Martin Luther Agwai, Deputy Chairman of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) has said the empowerment agency has so far received N180 billion from the federal government.

At a workshop on fundamental monitoring and evaluation principles organised by the National Planning Commission in Kaduna, Agwai, former Chief of Defence Staff said SURE-P created 130,000 jobs among Nigerians.

“Since inception, we have so far received N180 billion as the federal government share of the Sure-P fund,” Gen. Agwai said adding, “we have achieved the employment of 111,000 youths in community service scheme and 6, 000 primary healthcare workers under the maternal and child healthcare programme.”

Gen. Agwai whose speech was read by the coordinator of operation, Engr. Ali Bukar Fatoma, said 10,000 unskilled workers and 2,400 skilled workers under the public work/ FERMA programme were also employed with the fund that also rehabilitated 700 primary healthcare centres in the country.

He said: “SURE-P under the critical infrastructure achieved the funding of the rehabilitation of the western railway line (Kano-Lagos) to operate passenger/freight services and the completion of the East-West road (Warri-Kaiama spanning 87km).”

National Planning Commission Secretary, Mr Ntufam Fidel Ugbo, said they were in Kaduna to discuss the monitoring and evaluation framework for Sure-P, adding that the programme was designed for four years, hence the need for tracking.

Ugbo, who was represented by the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Zakari Lawal, said the workshop has built the capacity of stakeholders.

Source: Daily Trust