- Trains Field Supritendent Officers
The Head of Delivery Platform (DLI 1.3) of the Lagos-CARES Livelihood Support initiative, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Salami, has stated that prospective beneficiaries under the social welfare scheme will start receiving payment soon, as the disbursement process is currently being finalised.
Salami disclosed this while addressing Field Superintendent Officers during a training session held at the Women Development Centre Agege, adding that the State Government would ensure that the disbursement process is hitch-free and transparent, hence, its insistence on due diligence and thorough documentation of would-be beneficiaries.
She explained that the social intervention programme was initiated as a response by the Federal Government to assuage the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable members of the society across the 36 States of the Federation, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
While informing that the training will further expose the field officers to the set goals and objectives of the project, Mrs. Salami reiterated that the project is presently ongoing in seven Local Government Areas in the State, explaining that all the beneficiaries were picked on merit.
She spoke further that the social intervention programme, being executed through the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, is expected to expand the social safety net and minimise the untold hardship being faced by indigent residents of the State.
Her words: “The objective of the livelihood grant component is to provide short livelihoods and soft skills training as well as one-off payments to ensure that men and women, including youths, remain productive and revive their businesses for sustainability to become economic contributors in the society”.
The Facilitator of the training and Consultant for the Lagos-CARES programme, Dr. Gbola Adebayo, underscored the roles of the Field Superintendent and Desk Officers, stressing that the project will expose the beneficiaries to effective and safe handling of waste products from their activities.
He emphasised the need for the beneficiaries to get support in order to sustain their chosen enterprise saying, “The issue of a business plan, environmental sustainability, social inclusiveness must be properly emphasised for the beneficiaries so that this project will achieve its intended purposes”.
One of the beneficiaries of the training and a Field Superintendent Officer, Oluwabusayo Fatimah, described her field experience during the exercise as ‘awesome and challenging’, noting that they encountered resistance from Lagosians at the initial stage but later convinced those in doubt about the authenticity of the project.
She commended the initiative, just as she expressed confidence that Lagos-CARES is rekindling the hope of Nigerian youths in the leadership of the State and the country.
