The Plateau State Focal Person/Executive Assistant to Governor Simon Lalong on National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) Dr. Sumaye Hamza has disclosed that a total of 254,313 pupils are being fed in schools and are being served by 3,421 cooks who patronize over 1000 farmers who sell raw materials to the cooks.

Dr. Hamza added that 74,377 households with over 300,000 individuals have benefited from some of the interventions targeted at bringing people out of poverty.

She spoke in Jos on Wednesday during a thank you rally to President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister Sadiyya Farouq, and Governor Simon Lalong by the NSIP beneficiaries who told their success stories of how the program impacted them positively.

The State Focal Person added that from the inception of the NSIP program in the State, there are “over 28,723 beneficiaries under the graduate components” and stressed that “testimonies from some beneficiaries tell the story in reality.”

Addressing the people, she noted, “The program which has four components has impacted positively on the lives of the beneficiary and their immediate environment. The number of teeming unemployed youths, level of malnutrition, lack of financial inclusion, high level of poverty and other factors informed the policy of NSIP,” and expressed optimism that government would continue to impact on the lives of citizens through laudable and realistic interventions.

She reiterated that the beneficiaries needed to appreciate the President, the Minister, Governor Lalong as well as she and her team as the program has touched their lives and that of their communities.

The State Governor, Simon Lalong, represented by the State Commissioner for Environment, Elisha Bitrus noted that the State government was passionate about the well-being of the people hence the creation of the enabling environment for programs like the NSIP to thrive.

Goodwill messages were received from the Ujah Anaguta, Pozoh Johnson Magaji, represented by Daniel Sani, the Majority Leader of the State Assembly, Naanlong Daniel, Chairman of House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Esther Dusu, the State ALGON Chairman and Chairman of Shendam, Alex Naantuam, Chairperson, Disability Rights Commission, Kyennan Mizim among others.

Some of the beneficiaries including Zainab Iliyasu, Khadija Mohammad, Susan Ademo, la, and others narrated how the program impacted their lives positively while Dr. Anne Gyang gave a talk on well-being and mental health.