Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, has said that over 1.3 million jobs were saved through the Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) Payroll Support under the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The Minister stated this during the evaluative workshop with the beneficiaries of the programmes and projects implemented under the ESP held at the Golden Tulip Essential Hotel in Benin City, Edo State, on Thursday, 22nd December, 2022.
He pointed out that “the Federal Government has invested ₦500bn in the implementation of the ESP projects and programmes which commenced in July 2020 and were completed towards the end of 2021,” adding that “the ESP was conceptualized by the present administration to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the global recession, which resulted to economic meltdown worldwide.”
Agba said that about 3,707kms of Federal roads were constructed and rehabilitated by Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) within the period across the federation and 400 units of housing were also constructed in Borno, Katsina, Edo, Zamfara, and Kano States to address the housing needs of internally displaced persons.
The Minster also said that “52 Intensive Care Units were equipped with 520 beds, 52 Molecular Laboratories and not less than 52 Isolation Centres were established at Federal Tertiary Hospitals across the country.”
He noted that the country also improved its biovaccine production and testing capacity through the acquisition of reagents and establishment of the state-of-the art laboratories at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Lagos, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).
The minister disclosed that under the ESP, 495 kilometers of rural roads were constructed to boost agricultural production by enabling timely access to markets by farmers to prevent post-harvest losses, adding that 129,000 crop farmers and 38,333 animal farmers were supported by the farm input support loan facility.
He further stated that 774,000 people were engaged in the public works programme under the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and 26,021 jobs were generated from the construction/rehabilitation of federal roads under FERMA.
In his remarks the Permanent Secretary, Engr Nebeolisa Anako, represented by the Director of National Monitoring & Evaluation, Dr Zakari Lawal, said that the workshop was organized to get direct feedback on the impact of the projects and programmes implemented under the ESP on the target beneficiaries.
He urged participants to provide the evaluators with all the relevant information and data that would support in determining the impact of the projects on the beneficiaries, adding that the outcome of the exercise would help in addressing sustainability issues and guide the conceptualization and implementation of similar future projects and programmes of government.
Highlights of the event were the interactive session, questions and answers, and requests listed, among others.
In attendance was Mrs Hannah Justina from the Federal Government Girls’ College Benin, who applauded the Federal Government for the support given to the school with 10 units of Solar Street Light, which, according to her, had eased the fear of pupils working in and around the premises at night.
She urged the Government to do more to enable a conducive environment for the pupils and staff members.
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
