Nigeria’s Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed on Wednesday said the country has secured $800 million from the World Bank to expand its National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) ahead of the elimination of its costly but popular petrol subsidies in June.
The programme which was designed to uplift millions of Nigerians consists of N-Power, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Grant for Vulnerable Groups (GVG), Alternate School Programme (ASP), Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).
GEEP is a microcredit social intervention scheme which consists of TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni.
This year, Nigeria set aside 3.36 trillion naira ($7.3 billion) for petrol subsidies until mid-2023, after which it has made no provision for the expense, which costs more than it does for healthcare and education.
According to Ahmed, the government is considering cash transfers and mass transit buses for workers to alleviate the impact of subsidy removal on the most vulnerable segment of the population.
She went on to say that the country has registered ten million households, which equates to 50 million vulnerable people.
“Several things are still on plan,” Ahmed told reporters in Abuja after the government’s cabinet meeting.
“Some we can start executing quickly while some are of long-term implementation.”
The World Bank predicted in 2021 that the COVID-19 crisis would push over 11 million Nigerians into poverty by 2022, bringing the total number of poor people in the country to more than 100 million. The total population is estimated to be 200 million people.
On the removal of the subsidy, Ahmed stated that discussions were taking place at various levels of government as well as with members of President-elect Bola Tinubu’s incoming administration.
After removing a fuel subsidy in June, Labour Minister Chris Ngige recommended last week that Tinubu’s new administration give public sector workers pay raises. Tinubu will take over when Buhari steps down in May.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
