Social Protection Programes: Buhari To Grant Soft Loans To 1million Artisans & Market Women

More details are emerging about the social protection programmes of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency, including a scheme to grant soft loans to about one million artisans and market women in the proposed 2016 budget, Premium Times report.

A senior federal government official who described the current controversy in the Senate regarding two versions of the proposed budget as a “distraction and a storm in a tea-cup,” confirmed that a provision to grant a one -time soft loan of about N60,000 each to one million market women, men and artisans is in the budget.

According to the official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said the budget sent out by the presidency is a bunch of proposals which would only become sacrosanct relatively after it had become an appropriation.

“To now have all this hue and cry on alleged versions, and switched copies is not just a distraction, but a storm in a tea-cup.”

The official said there were far too important components in the budget proposals, including the soft loan which is the Micro-Credit component of the Buhari Social Protection programmes.

This component, according to the official, will gulp about N60 Billion and is one of a six-point social protection programme of the administration.

While details of the implementation of the N60billion Micro-Credit scheme are being worked out and would be rolled out once the budget is approved by the National Assembly, there are five other social protection schemes identified to be coordinated by a Special Adviser for Social Protection Plan in the presidency, with an effective inter ministerial involvement.

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Special Adviser has also ready been named and is now working in the Office of the Vice President. She is Maryam Uwais.

Mrs. Uwais, is a respected lawyer with over 30 years experience, including serving as a Principal Partner of Wali Uwais & Co, an Abuja-based law firm.

Besides the Micro-Credit scheme, there are five other social investment plans of the Buhari administration already provided for in the budget with about N500billion, or an unprecedented nine percent of the total budget.

Presidency insiders say this is the first time the Nigerian government is spending this much on targeted social welfare scheme.