President
Muhammadu Buhari has proposed to spend N500bn on social services to
cater for the needs of youths and other “vulnerable” groups in 2016.
This
is the first time in the history of Nigeria that federal government
budget will include package to directly cater for social welfare of
poorest of the poor and other vulnerable people in our country.
The proposal was contained in the 2016-2018 Medium Term Expenditure
Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, which he sent to the National
Assembly on Tuesday.
Buhari wrote separate letters to the
President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, which were read to members in the
respective chambers.
Punch reports that the document explained that the social welfare programme would be executed in
phases
but did not categorically say whether it was meant to implement his
administration’s promise to pay each unemployed person in the country
N5, 000 monthly.
However, it added that that the scheme would
also take care of the school feeding programme initiative as well as the
“conditional cash transfer to the most vulnerable and a post-NYSC
grant.”
Buhari explained that the intervention would start next
year as a pilot scheme, adding that his government would work towards
securing the support of donor agencies and development partners in order
to minimise potential risks.
“Government
will institute policies to ensure that our students learn skills and
provide funds and equipment that will make them self-employed upon
graduation. This will be supported by a post NYSC grant,” the document
stated.
The House will open debate on the MTEF and FSP on Wednesday (today).