Federal Government Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has included vulnerable ex-servicemen, widows, and dependants of fallen heroes in the National Social Register (NSR) to benefit from the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and other Social Intervention programmes.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu disclosed this during an official visit to the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Edu said the Federal Government has expanded the welfare scheme to accommodate ex-servicemen, their widows, and dependants in fulfillment of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s promise to Nigerians.
The Minister said the innovation became necessary to include those who paid the supreme price for the sustenance of the peace of the country and their dependants to serve as a morale booster for those currently securing the country.
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She sought for the accurate data of the affected ex-servicemen and their dependants to enable them to be captured in the ongoing National Social Register verification exercise.
”This scheme is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and am here to inform you that the program has been expanded to accommodate retired personnel of the Ministry of Defence mostly families of those who lost their lives in the course of defending our Country.
“Their wives can use this to start small businesses that can help their children stay in School provide Basic Health Care and even sustain their families.
The Minister said the Federal Government has created the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP) which is geared towards helping Small Scale Businesses and boosting the welfare of Nigeria market women and farmers which the ex-servicemen and widows can key into.
Dr Edu equally called on the Ministry of Defence to collaborate with the Humanitarian Ministry to ensure that President Bola Ahmed succeeds in the eradication of poverty in Nigeria.
She reiterated her Ministry’s readiness to ensure that those who served the Country meritoriously and died in active service are not left behind in the scheme. The Minister also requested the Defence Minister to provide adequate security cover for Humanitarian workers while carrying out their national assignment in all of the States that are prone to insecurity.
In his response, the Hon. Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, said the visit was timely and thanked Dr. Edu for including the retirees in the welfare scheme which he said, will go a long way to Renew the Hopes of retired officers and their families and will also motivate the working officers to secure the Nigeria territorial integrity.
The Defence Minister who was accompanied at the event with his Minister for State, Bello Mattawale, assured that the Defence Ministry will collaborate with its Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation counterpart to ensure proper coordination of the scheme.
“We want you to send our sincere appreciation to Mr. President for doing the exceptional by considering us, we thank him for giving you this opportunity to help the nation, and we also thank God for allowing you to be very innovative on the job that you’re doing. When you met the Chief of Defence Staff, words got to us that you are supporting the military, all our team became delighted,” he said.
On his part, the Chairman of Nigeria Legion, Maj. General Abdulmalik Jubril (RTD), thanked President Bola Tinubu and Dr Edu, for the innovation saying, “This has never happened before.”
He said the Nigeria Legion is the last hope for retired officers who keep increasing in number.
The legion, he added will need health care, welfare, and a means of livelihood for its members.
“These arms of the Military (Army, Airforce, and Navy) retirees need government support as gestures like this have not been given to us before including the wives and families of our fallen heroes.”