In a decisive step towards promoting cooperation between the Conference of Speakers of State legislatures and Federal Government Ministries, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly who also doubles as the Chairman of Conference of Speakers led a team to pay a courtesy visit to Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, in Abuja.
The objective behind this visit, according to the youngest Speaker in Nigeria, is to establish a strong partnership with the Ministry, aligning efforts to support various intervention programs of the Federal Government aimed at uplifting the living standards of grassroots communities.
During the meeting, Truth Live News gathered that the Speaker noted that Speakers and State legislators, being the closest representatives to the grassroots, play a considerable role in ensuring the effective implementation of Federal Social Investment Programs.
Notable programs discussed include the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) targeting those in the lowest poverty brackets, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) providing micro-lending interventions for traders, farmers, women, etc., and the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSF) catering to young children.
Speaking, Dr. Betta Edu urged for the domestication of the Disability Act and the National Social Investment Program Agency (NSIPA) at the State level.
She furthered by suggesting consolidating all Federal Government programs within a single State agency.