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FG to give N20,000 grant to vulnerable groups – Humanitarian Minister
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq says cash grant of 20,000 naira will be given to vulnerable persons across the country to ameliorate their sufferings and reduce poverty.
The Minister made this known at a media parley with stakeholders on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to her, the Ministry will flagg off disbursement in the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday and further roll out the programme in all the 36 states according to time schedule.
Farouq said the Grant for Vulnerable Groups Programme, which was introduced in 2020, is in line with government’s target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.
This grant programme is targeted at poor rural and peri-urban women and men within the productive age of 18 and above.
70% of the grant is allocated to beneficiaries who are women, 30% to men, while an additional 15% will be given to the segment of the population with special needs, including Persons with Disability (PWDs) and senior citizens in the Country, forcibly displaced persons (internally displaced persons, returnees, etc), Widows and orphans.
The Minister however expressed optimism that the grant, if utilised for its purpose, would increase productivity and improve the living standard of all the beneficiaries.
She said the Ministry is working with Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), Non-governmental Organisations and relevant stakeholders to identify, select and mobilize beneficiaries.
Hajia Farouq said “The Grant for Vulnerable Groups programme was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of President Buhari’s Administration. It is consistent with the national target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural and peri-urban areas of the country.
“A cash grant of N20,000.00 will be disbursed to poor women and men across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The main objective of the GRW programme is to increase income and productive assets of target beneficiaries.
“The specific objectives are to:
Increase access to financial capital required for economic and income-generating activities, Promote financial inclusion among unbanked and underserved populations; and contribute towards improving their living standard”.
She said the Ministry has engaged the services of Payment Service Providers
(PSPs), all registered by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for disbursement of the funds.
The cash grant will be paid to target beneficiaries using physical payment and through bank accounts or wallets.
Also speaking, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the grant will strengthen the earning capacity of vulnerable people, promote financial inclusion which will inturn build a wealthy society.
Operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), have arrested two principal suspects involved in the killing of 16 Nigerians of Northern extraction in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government last week.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the DSS in Uromi, following credible intelligence. Operatives of various security agencies are hunting for other key suspects involved in the unfortunate incidents
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, had on Monday in Kano State, during a condolence visit, revealed that 14 suspects had already been arrested in connection with the killing.
Governor Okpebholo who visited the State to condole with the Government and families of the victims, had vowed that justice will be served and those involved in the killing will be brought to justice.
Governor Okpebholo had also assured families of the victims that adequate compensations will be paid.
In the latest development, the two principal suspects arrested by officials of the DSS, have been transferred to Abuja, the nation’s capital, for further interrogation and prosecution by the relevant authorities.
A Nigerian televangelist, Timothy Omotoso has been acquitted of rape after spending eight years in prison in South Africa.
Trouble started when the televangelist was accused of raping young women from his South African church, an accusation he denied when he was arrested eight years ago.
His trial was aired live I South Africa and gained interest across the country, but insisted that he was not guiltynof 32-count charges against him.
In 2018, one witness told the court she had been raped by the pastor – who ran a church in the city of Port Elizabeth – when she was 14 years old.
The presiding judge on Wednesday 1st April, 2025 delivered judgement, saying Pastor Timothy Omotoso has not bèn found guilty over this case because prosecutors had mishandled the case.
South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) shared a similar assessment, saying that “former prosecutors in the case acted improperly and the accused were not sufficiently cross-examined by the state”.
The NPA said it will now “consider its legal options”.
For his part, Mr Omotoso told the media he thanked God for the verdict.
His co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho, were also found not guilty.
Mr Omotoso was dramatically arrested at an airport in 2017 as he sought to leave the country.
His trial was the first prominent rape case to be broadcast live in a country where sexual violence is rampant.
The hearings attracted huge interest, and raised difficult questions about victims’ rights, impartiality and whether justice is best served by having television cameras in courtrooms.
Following Wednesday’s verdict, Mr Omotoso will be deported to Nigeria, South African media outlet News24 reported.
The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that it has been vindicated by recent revelations from the state’s former Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke.
The Rivers APC Chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, stated this in a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists on Wednesday.
The former Head of Service, who recently resigned had alleged that the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was directly responsible for the political crisis in the state and the bombing of the State House of Assembly.
In response, the Rivers State APC asserted that Nwaeke’s testimony aligns with the party’s long-held position, as frequently stated by Chief Okocha, that the suspended governor was the architect of the state’s political crisis, including masterminding the October 29, 2023, bombing of the State House of Assembly.
Chief Okocha further emphasized that Nwaeke’s account, given his high-ranking position in the state, cannot be dismissed as mere speculation.
He said attempts to discredit the former Head of Service will not deter him from exposing the alleged corruption and misconduct that the APC has repeatedly highlighted.
“What is most interesting to the APC in Rivers State as a responsible political party is that Dr. George Nwaeke’s revelations and testimonies of how suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his squad bombed the Rivers State House of Assembly is an eye witness account.
“Again , it has clearly vindicated the APC in Rivers State as the only visible and viable opposition political party in the State, and has cemented the love for the party in the heart of well meaning Rivers people as the voice of the voiceless, and the hope for a better Rivers State.
“The revelations made by the former Head of Service in Rivers State has further positioned her as a political party with high level of integrity, and the hope of Rivers people for a viable alternative to produce the Governor of Rivers State in 2027.
“The verbal attacks staged against the resigned Head of Service will not deter him from exposing the corruption within Sim Fubara’s administration, which we have consistently highlighted as the opposition party. On this matter, the APC shall function as watchdogs”, the party stated.
Chief Tony Okocha expressed confidence that security agencies would thoroughly investigate the matter.
“The APC in Rivers State strongly believes that the relevant security agencies will be professional enough to get to the root of the matter and make their findings public”, he said.
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