ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has said that the Ministry would spend N1.8 billion as stipends for the 5,000 Independent Monitors engaged for the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP)across the country.
Hagiya Farouq, who stated this after flagging off the distribution of engagement letters and tablets to trained independent monitors on Monday at the Command Guest House, Bauchi, said the training was carried out between February and April, 2021 across the country.
She said that about 300 independent monitors were selected and trained in Bauchi state.
The Minister explained that all the devices to be used for monitoring the programme are locally made in Nigeria and the Monitoring Application was designed by an indigenous company.
According to her, the application, called the Social Investment Management Information System (SIMIS), is a mobile and web-based application designed for monitoring the National Social Investment Programme.
She said: “Using this application, the ministry sees real time report of activities of the Independent Monitors on the Field. We can view reports submitted and see the NSIP performance indicators by state.
“This will enable the Ministry to detect areas where there are challenges and provide greater visibility of activities happening in the field. Essentially, it will help us deliver on our mandate and contribute to Mr. President’s vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of Poverty”.
“Each Independent Monitor is expected to monitor a designated number of beneficiaries of the National Social Investment Programme. They will be paid a monthly stipend of N30,000, and they must meet up to 80% of their deliverables monthly to be eligible for their stipend.”
Hagiya Farouq said that the Independent Monitors Engagement letters clearly articulate the scope of work which include routine monitoring of all programmes under NSIP in their assigned LGA and provision of evidence-based report on findings in the field.
Others, she said are the submission of various categories of reports in accordance with the set timelines, attending all trainings and meetings as required by the Ministry and other duties that may be assigned by the Ministry.
She warned the Independent Monitors not to assign their responsibilities to third parties, pointing out that every independent monitor would be held accountable by the ministry for the task given to them.
“The Ministry reserves the right to disengage an Independent Monitor for misconduct or noncompliance with set guidelines and directives. I hereby urge you to carry out this assignment with outmost sense of patriotism, diligence, and sincerity. We at the Ministry will not accept anything short of the set standards.
“The duration of your assignment is for one year, from the June 2021 to the May 2022,” she said.
The Minister admonished the trainees not to sell the tablets, but to use them for the purpose they were intended.
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