FCTA: FG Trains Community Orientation Officers On Government Enterprise And Empowerment In The Territory

By Yahaya Idris, Abuja

The federal government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management And Social Development in partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has commenced the training of community orientation and mobilization officers (COMOS) to serve as local desk officers for government enterprise and empowerment programme (GEEP) in the FCT.

The Special Assistant on social investment programme to the Honourable Minister of State FCT, who is also the focal person, FCT Social Safety Network, Mrs Chinwendu Eteyen Amba charged the participants to take the training very serious, as the understanding of the programme will directly affect the implementation of the GEEP.

Mrs Eteyen Amba expressed her profound gratitude to the Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management And Social Development ministry and other relevant organisations like the Marketmoni, Tradermoni and the Farmermoni.

She also commended the initiative of the federal government of providing loan without interest that is payable within 9 months, ensuring financial inclusion.

The Special Adviser explained that the GEEP is designed to make equity fund available and accessible to low business end to grow.

The training is principally designed to sensitize and guide the COMOS on the mobilization and registration of groups and individuals on how to access GEEP facilities.

ALSO READ: 2023: CMP Warns APC Against Negative Media Propaganda

The National Coordinator, National Social Investment Programme disclosed that sequel to her appointment as the Special Adviser and Focal Person, FCT State Investment Programme on the 30th of March, 2020, extensive meeting with all the SIP was held to ensure that all the concerned businesses on board are streamed into the formal financial system through bank accounts, mobile wallets and formal identities.

She commended officers who developed a road map which has helped in no small measure to channel a new course as there was no hand over note from the predecessor.

“Deriving logically, I streamlined the activities of the various components and ensured better synergy between them. Permit me therefore to give you an analysis of my activities in the 4 components of SIP in the FCT since my assumption of office. 

HOME SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME: The home school feeding programme commenced in FCT last year and it was during the Covid-19 1st wave. The emergence of corona virus disease called CoviD-19 pandemic which ravaged human life in the whole world, led to total lockdown of socio-economic activities including Educational Institutions at all levels to avoid spread of the disease.

In this regard, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster and Social Development was ordered by the President to provide food palliatives for beneficiaries of the home-grown school feeding program from primaries 1-3

“The process of the distribution of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Program food ration palliative distribution in the FCT kicked off with a one-day training conducted for the Food vendors and the ward mobilizers across the six Area Councils.

“They were trained on how to target the beneficiaries’ households and covid-19 safety tips which was followed by a two days house targeting exercise.

“A total of number of 29, 609 households was earmarked across the six Area Councils of the FCT which also translates to the total number of vouchers to be shared.” the Coordinator stated.

She also disclosed that the distribution of vouchers to the targeted households easier, the 62 political wards were used in the household targeting across the six Area Councils.

Global Times Nigeria reports that after a successful household targeting and distribution of the vouchers to the beneficiaries, an official Flag-Off of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Program Food ration palliative distribution in FCT took place on Thursday, 14th, of May, 2020 by the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development at Kuje Area Council, the Coordinator explained.