… Says Over 22,000 to Benefit from Scheme

By Femi Bolaji

Ahead of the commencement of the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus, NG-
CARES, program in Taraba state, the government has trained implementing officers across the state.

The state governor, Darius Ishaku, who spoke weekend at the opening of the capacity building workshop for technical staff of the scheme, said no fewer than 22,415 persons would benefit from the World Bank/ Federal Government COVID-19 stimulus package.

Ishaku who was represented by his Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Solomon Elisha, said the in-house training sponsored by the state is a technical support on the deliverables of the project.

According to him, “having studied all the submissions of the delivery platforms and the interface I had with them individually and collectively I saw that there was a need for further technical support in terms of capacity building for the officers that will be implementing the program.

“Even though the program is not taking up at the speed desired by the National Office, there is every need for the implementers to be at the same page.

“In this light, I wish to state that with this In-house
training Taraba CARES today has commenced in earnest.

“Let every delivery platform begin to set in motion the machinery for implementation so that we will get the optimum result.”

The governor further stated that the NG-CARES intervention in Taraba has four components of which 22,415 Taraba citizens would benefit directly.

“This is aside the livelihood grants to 2,740 households targeting the economically active youth and women with the upgrading of 32 wet markets to safer functional ones”, he said.

Ishaku also appreciated the World Bank and Federal government for the intervention which according to him would assuage the effects of the pandemic on residents of the state.