The Federal Government has disbursed a staggering sum of N135,479,884,677.02 to States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following the successful Second Independent Assessment of Results achieved under the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG CARES) program – a World Bank Assisted Performance For Results Programme.
The National Coordinator of NG-CARES Programme, Dr Abdulkarim Obaje, revealed this financial injection in Abuja on Friday.
He emphasized that these funds were allocated based on the commendable Results achieved by the States and FCT in their relentless efforts to support the impoverished and vulnerable segments of Nigerian society through the NG-CARES Programme.
Dr Obaje proudly disclosed that the top three best-performing States in this Second Round of Assessment are Nasarawa, securing N13,697,828,496.96, followed by Cross River with N10,944,747,818.84, and Zamfara, receiving N10,231,055,267.82.
This accomplishment, he asserted, marks a significant milestone in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to addressing multidimensional poverty in the country.
In a statement by Suleiman Odapu, the Information and Communication Officer at NG-CARES, the National Coordinator commended Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, for providing essential leadership at the federal level to coordinate the NG-CARES Programme’s implementation at the States and FCT.
He also extended gratitude to State Governors, the FCT Minister, and the World Bank for their unwavering support.
The NG-CARES Programme stands as a testament to the Federal Government’s strategic initiative, meticulously designed to function as a shock response mechanism and an efficient distribution channel for reaching the impoverished and vulnerable in the country.
Executed through 158 integrated Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across all 36 State Governments and the FCT Administration, the program boasts a well-proven track record of performance under previous Donor-Supported assistance.
With the overarching goal “To expand access to livelihood support and food security services and grants for poor and vulnerable households and firms,” the NG-CARES Programme continues to play a pivotal role in fortifying the nation’s resilience and safeguarding the well-being of its most vulnerable citizens.
