The Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Chris Ngige, has criticised a bill seeking to reorganise the National Social Investment Programmes of the Federal Government, which were introduced by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
The harmonised bill is also proposing that the state and local governments share the burden of the SIPs with the Federal Government.
The bill was jointly sponsored by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase; Mansur Soro and nine other members.
The proposed legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Provide a Legal Framework for Establishment of National Social Investment Programmes for the Assistance and Empowerment of the Poor and Vulnerable in Nigeria; and to Establish the National Social Investment Programmes Coordination Office within the Federal Ministry Responsible for Social Development to Manage the Implementation of the Programmes and National Social Investments Trust Fund to Alleviate Poverty among Vulnerable Nigerian Citizens through Targeted Programmes for the Aged, Infirm, Unemployed and Students.’
Ngige said, “The current administration has done excellently well with the programmes it has enunciated with respect to poverty to poverty alleviation. Before this administration, we had the NEEDS programme and others. So, we find that programmes and interventions targeted at the poor thus change and that is constitutional.”
Ngige also criticised the second bill, saying, “You will discover that there is duplication of functions already domiciled in the NSITF. Taking it to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs will be a duplication of that particular function.