The Federal Government has engaged 79 persons as independent monitors to ascertain the extent of implementation of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) in Oyo State.
The independent monitors under the supervision of the federal ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development are assigned to monitor NSIP beneficiaries within schools, households and market clusters.
The selected persons from the 33 Local Government Areas of Oyo State are to examine the implementation of programmes like N-power, Conditional Cash Transfer, Home-Grown Feeding Programme and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme.
Speaking at the training of the Oyo State monitors, in Ibadan, on Monday, the Minister of Human Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, said the monitors will be visiting schools to observe the kind of food the children are being fed, and whether the N-power beneficiaries are carrying out their duties as expected among others.
The Minister, represented by Assistant Director, Planning Research and Statistics in the ministry, Jumai Abdu Ali, said the monitoring had become expedient to evaluate the impact of the various programmes.
She tasked the monitors on diligence and sincerity on the task while noting that President Muhammadu Buhari was keen on increasing the number of beneficiaries of the various NSIP.
Meanwhile in his remarks, Oyo State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Moshood Olaleye, said the monitoring was expedient for the Federal Government to ascertain that its investment is strictly serving the purpose of design.
Also, the Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Faosat Sanni, said that the various NSIPs had brought about tremendous change in the lives of many Nigerians, and therefore urged the Federal Government to expand the programme to reach more Nigerians.