News: Presidency Orders Release of 10,000 Tons of Grains, Working on N5,000 Payment

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the release of 10,000 tons of grains from the national strategic grains reserve for national distribution in order to counter food price increases.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement in Abuja last night that the president had also directed the Minister of Agriculture to ensure that all the able-bodied men and women in IDP camps be assisted to return to farming immediately.

“This is coming as a reaction to calls for government measures to ease hardship associated with food inflation,” the presidential aide said.

He said the presidency was also working ongoing plans for one million poor and vulnerable Nigerians to soon receive monthly payments of N5000 to allow them live decently.

He assured Nigerians that the presidency was working ceaselessly to deliver on its promise of change, stressing that “the painful process is still ongoing.”

It however reminded them to realise that change is a process that sometimes comes with pain and  does not happen overnight and could be inconvenient.

 According to him, President Buhari understands the pain and the cries of Nigerians and is spending sleepless nights on to make life better for everyone.

On the N5,000 monthly payment, he said: “This programme is designed to recognize the need for ordinary, poor Nigerians to also benefit from the resources of the country. President Buhari believes that the resources of our country should be spent also on the vast majority of our people who are poor and vulnerable, and not squandered by government officials or the elite.  This social investment plan is already provided for in the 2016 Budget. The World Bank has begun conducting a social register on poor and vulnerable people in Nigeria, by going to the 4 poorest local government areas and then the 4 poorest communities in those poorest local govt areas. About 7-8 states have been completed already. Now the presidency is working with the World Bank and the Bill Gates Foundation on how to identify the people to be paid the N5000 and how they will be paid,” he said.

“Another programme, also included in the 2016 budget and also targeted at the poor, is the provision of soft loans to one million traders, market men, artisans, etc.  These are not the kind of loans that require collaterals that the people can’t afford or provide. No. The loans will come through the Bank of Industry, but this has also been included in the budget.

“In addition to all these, 500,000 unemployed graduates will be directly employed as volunteer teachers but paid by the FG to teach in their communities while they search for better jobs in their areas of expertise. 370,000 unemployed youths will also be trained in skills acquisition and paid while doing so.  These are just some aspects of the change that Nigerians voted for, a change that is happening and which will soon be felt by Nigerians in every nook and cranny of our country,” Shehu added.

Source: Daily Trust