In its efforts to regulate the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs) of the Nigerian government, the House of Representatives has introduced a bill that would help achieve that.
The bill, entitled ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish National Social Investments Trust Fund to Alleviate Poverty among Vulnerable Nigerian Citizens through Targeted Programmes for the Aged, Infirmed, Unemployed and Students; and for Related Matters,’ has already scaled first reading and listed for second reading.
The Reps Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Tuesday said in his opening address at the plenary, “Our work on other Legislative Agenda priorities such as the Petroleum Industry Bill and the institutionalisation of the NSIPs will continue at pace.”
Reps’ introduction of the bill came about six months after Gbajabiamila in May hinted that they would soon bring up a bill that would help address the issue of who is a poor Nigerian and qualified to benefit from the Federal Government’s NSIPs.
The speaker, had then said that the objective of the bill would be to legalise the NSIPs and codify the programmes.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is currently in charge of the NISPs.
