Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, declared that the sum of three billion naira has been set aside in the 2021 budget to improve the living condition of the poor, the vulnerable and small and medium businesses.
KG-CARES is a Kogi State Government version of NG-CARES Programme for results, aimed at mitigating the global effects of COVID-19 on the people and businesses in the state.
Declaring the training and sensitisation of the stakeholders on Kogi-COVID-19 Action Recovery Stimulus (cares) programme open, the Governor who was represented at the occasion by the Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Arike, explained that Kogi State has no evidence of COVID-19, but the pandemic has induced effects which have reduced revenues and escalated inflation, putting needless pressures on the people of the state.
He assured that the three billion naira will be cash-back and disbursed to provide quality health, education, agriculture, poverty eradication and provision of water to enhance the living standard of the masses.
The Governor added that small and medium business enterprises will be assisted to enable them to grow and add value to the state’s economy.
He charged the Kogi State Community and Social Development Agency the implementing agency to ensure that the programme benefits the state, assuring that all bureaucratic bottle-neck that can hinder the implementation of the programme.
The NG-CARES focal person and State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Ashiru Idris, noted that the essence of KG-CARES was to mitigate the effects of the harsh economic environment caused by COVID-19.
“With all the issues surrounding the pandemic, there is no doubt that our people who were poor in 2019 have been made poorer in 2020 and even a significant proportion that was not previously poor are now either poor or vulnerable,” he said.
Earlier, the General Manager Kogi State Community and Social Development Agency saddled with the responsibility of implementing the Kogi-CARES programme, Momoh Dauda, said assured that the agency would not disappoint the government, saying the agency was battle-ready to implement the programme.
The Obaro of Kabba, Oba Dele Owoniyi, in his goodwill message on behalf of other traditional rulers in the state, said if the plan to assist the poor and vulnerable in the state are pursued vigorously a lot of people at the grassroots will be uplifted out of poverty.
He commended the state governor for his development stride in the state, pledging the support of the traditional at all times.