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FG budgets another N500bn for social intervention in 2017 budget

Published

8 years ago

September 11, 2016

FG budgets another N500bn for social intervention in 2017 budget

The Federal Government has said it would be setting aside another N500bn for its social intervention programs for 2017 budget.

The move by the federal government, if approved by the National Assembly, would make the budgetary allocation for the All Progressives Congress, APC, goverment social intervention programme N1tn in two years.

This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, at a media briefing in Abuja on the national nutrition week.

The minister however lamented that despite the commitment of the Federal Government to nutrition, malnutrition is still a challenge to national development, adding that while it would be difficult for the government alone to address the issue owing to funding constraints, it would use the instrumentality of the budget in channeling funds for social intervention programs.

Earlier in the week, government had suggested that due to budgetary constrains, it has no option but to scale down the fund based on whatever amount it will receive from the Ministry of Finance.

Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Investments, Maryam Uwais, had stated this at the Civil Society Information Dissemination on Monitoring Federal Government Social Protection Programme.

She explained that the decision to make a reduction in the poverty alleviation fund was based on the current economic situation the country has found itself.

She added that the decision was necessary as revenue generation has dropped compared to when the programme started.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews ….

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