By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has urged the World Bank and the Federal Government to implement the N750m NG-CARES COVID-19 relief programme to ameliorate the sufferings caused by the impact of the pandemic on the Nugerian masses.
Tambuwal, who is the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and the Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, made the call while receiving a World Bank team led by Mr Aderibigbe Funsho Adewale in his office in Sokoto State on Thursday, June 17, 2021, his Special Adviser on Media, Muhammad Bello, said in a statement.
The Governor stated that though State governments had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Bank and the Federal Government for the N750 million performances/results-based NG-CARES COVID-19 relief programme bank-rolled by the bank, they were still waiting for it to start its implementation.
The NG-CARES programme outlines the proposed results’ operations to support the 36 states, including the FCT, as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of the poor, vulnerable households and micro enterprises in the country.
He said: “We are ready. We believe that we have expressed our willingness. We are only waiting for you to kick start the programme. Typical of World Bank programmes, (this came) with a lot of conditions and technicalities; and, what we are witnessing now, in our own view, my own view, is delay on implementation on your own side.
“Take back this message from all of us concerned to Mr President, Ministers of Agriculture, Finance, Budget and Economic Planning; and, of course, the World Bank, that States are eagerly waiting, because the people have been sensitised.
“They have done what they need to do and the economy is not improving. So, there is the need for your end to expedite action and see how you can begin to release these funds,” he emphasised.
Tambuwal stressed that the Nigeria-CARES programme is a very important one, considering “the negative impact of COVID-19 on business activities globally; moreso, with the vulnerable a d the SMEs.
“For nearly 14 months the economy was down and all of these categories of our citizens were affected.
“So, when it was mentioned to us that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Bank, is coming to us with this programme, we all heaved a sigh of relief that help is on the way to our people.
“We hit the ground running.”
The Governor explained that the state chose all the three areas – cash transfer for the vulnerable, food security and the resuscitation of the SME – and met all of the criteria and conditions prescribed in the MoU.
On the request made by the World Bank for the fast track of the FADAMA projects, the Governor said the state government have been doing a lot and will continue to do so.
He, however, added that “the main concern of the people on agricultural investments and agri-business is the problem of insecurity,” knowledge and funding.
In his remarks, Mr Adewale, who said his team’s mission to the state was to deliberate on modalities of moving the programme to the next level, stated that it outlines a two year financial support to the states to fulfill its three key results’ areas.
He noted that “in line with the above, it is assumed that Sokoto State would have inaugurated a statewide steering committee and state care coordination unit in accordance with section 1.8, 2.1 of the legal agreement.”