COVID-19: FG DISBURSE N135.4bn TO STATES, FCT

Read Time:1 Minute, 22 Second

The Federal Government has disbursed N135.4 billion to states and the Federal Capital Territory, following the second Independent Assessment of Results achieved under the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus programme in a move to address multi-dimensional poverty and support vulnerable Nigerians.
This was disclosed in a statement made on Sunday in Abuja by NG-CARES’s Information and Communication Officer, Suleiman Odapu, and National Coordinator of the programme, Abdulkarim Obaje.

NG-CARES is a World Bank-State support programme implemented in all 36 states and FCT.

The programme aims to mitigate the economic and social shocks faced by poor and vulnerable Nigerians as a result of the lockdown during the COVID-19 crisis.

The project is structured as a Programme for Results, reimbursing states and the FCT for their expenditures if they implement the project as prescribed in the Financing Agreement, the Funds Release Policy, and the Independent Verification Agent Protocol.

Obaje said the funds were disbursed based on the results achieved by the states and FCT in their efforts at supporting poor and vulnerable Nigerians under the NG-CARES programme and addressing multi-dimensional poverty in the country.

The statement added that the “top three best performing states in this Second Round of Assessment are Nasarawa which earned N13,697,828,496.96, Cross River N10,944,747,818.84 and Zamfara N10,231,055,267.82.”

Obaje further praised the Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, for his support in coordinating the implementation of NG-CARES programme across the country.

He also commended state governors, the FCT Minister and the World Bank for providing support.