The National Assembly on 29th November 2022, received an Executive bill for the establishment of a National Social Investment Programme, from President Muhammadu Buhari. It is a bill for an Act to provide a legal and institutional framework for the establishment and management of a National Social Investment Programme in Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development created under President Buhari’s administration, currently co-ordinates all issues of humanitarian affairs and social development in Nigeria.
- The National Social Investment Programme established by the bill consists of:
- N-Power Programme;
- National Cash Transfer programme;
- Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme; and
- Such other Programmes as may be approved by the President.
The bill provides for a National Programme Manager for each programme.
The bill establishes a National Social Investment Programme Agency and a Governing Board for the execution and management of the Programme. The Board shall comprise a Chairman, the National Co-ordinator of the Programme (who shall be the Secretary of the Board), representatives of select Federal Ministries, Chief Executives of select government agencies, representatives from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, international development partners, international non-governmental organisations, Chairman of the State Co-ordinators’ Forum.
The Agency shall be headed by a National Co-ordinator who will be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister (in charge of humanitarian affairs, social inclusion and poverty eradication), who shall hold office for a term of four years and may be re-appointed for another term of four years.
The functions of the National Social Investment Programme Agency include the following, among others:
- oversee the implementation of policies, projects relating to the Programme;
- conduct overall monitoring, evaluation, impact assessment and review the implementation of the Programme;
- collaborate and interface with State Coordinators;
- maintain and facilitate the use of the National Social Register established under this Act;
- establish skill acquisition centres for the purpose of training of beneficiaries of the Programme and other persons;
- develop regulations on accountability measures and mechanisms;
- conduct overall monitoring, evaluation and review of the Programme;
- from time to time, designate inspectors or monitors, to such areas of Nigeria as it may determine, to inspect ongoing execution of Programme by the Agency;
- collaborate with the media on advocacy and mobilisation activities.
The bill requires State Governments participating in the programme to establish a State Social Investment Programme Agency headed a State Co-ordinator, who shall act as a liaison between the State Government and the Agency.
The Agency’s programmes are targeted at unemployed persons including unskilled persons, vulnerable widows, orphans and children, persons with disabilities, vulnerable older persons and such other persons as the National Social Investment Board may determine with the approval of the President. The beneficiaries are required to be enrolled with the Agency, which may carry out investigations to verify the eligibility of the applicants. The bill stipulates that the payment of social investment benefits to a beneficiary shall lapse in the event of death or if the condition upon which the person was considered a beneficiary ceases to exist. The bill also establishes a National Social Register, containing the information and data of poor and vulnerable persons and households from the States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The bill further establishes a National Social Investment Programme Fund which will be financed with sums appropriated for the Programme by the National Assembly, other sums provided by the Federal Government; grants, gifts, donations, endowments and bequest made to the Agency; monies from individuals, companies, government institutions and development partners; and at least 5% of recovered repatriated funds. The Fund shall be used for the payment of benefits to beneficiaries of the Programme, actualising the functions and powers of the Agency, payment of allowances and benefits to Board members and other purposes incidental to the objectives of the Programme.
A World Bank report projected that 95.1 million persons will be living below the poverty line in 2022. It is important to have social welfare programmes in place to cater for the most vulnerable people in society. However, it is important to ensure that the impact of such programmes is far-reaching to the extent that they empower the beneficiaries to eventually become self-sufficient. PLAC had earlier written about the Nigerian Government’s poverty alleviation schemes https://bit.ly/3gRs0XZ.
The National Social Investment Programme bill provides a satisfactory legal framework to address social welfare schemes in Nigeria. However, the membership of the Board of the National Social Investment Programme Agency as provided in the bill is very wide and needs to be streamlined, particularly with regard to the number of government ministries and agencies represented in the Board.
It is important to note that there also exists the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, which caters to the welfare of Nigerian employees in the event of work-related accidents and injuries.