President Muhammadu Buhari today hinted that the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development would oversee the administration’s Special Intervention Programme. Buhari, who said this in his broadcast to the nation to mark the country’s 59th independence anniversary, also stated that he had directed the release of N600bn for capital project implementation from the 2019 budget in the next three months.
Speaking on the Special Intervention Programme, which is under the supervision of the office of the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the President stated, “Our ongoing N500bn Special Intervention Programme continues to target vulnerable groups, through the home-grown School Feeding Programme, Government Economic Empowerment Programme, N-Power, Job Creation Programme, loans for traders and artisans, Conditional Cash Transfers to the poorest families and social housing scheme.
“To institutionalise these impactful programmes, we created the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development which shall consolidate and build on our achievements to date. To the beneficiaries of these programmes, I want to reassure you that our commitment to social inclusion will only increase.” He also said the newly set up Economic Advisory Council would advise him on inclusive and sustainable macroeconomic, fiscal and monetary policies.
He also said that as of June this year, total capital releases from the 2018 budget, stood at N1.74trn to underscore the commitment of his administration to build infrastructure and take Nigerians out of poverty.