The Federal Government said it had spent N50 billion on vulnerable Nigerians under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).

Also, the government disclosed that it would be spending N250 billion for a similar programme in 2023.

In a statement on Thursday by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, indicated that the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan and other programmes embarked on in 2022 had been achieved 100 per cent.

The statement emanated from the outcome of the NPRGS Steering Committee meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, on Wednesday.

While presenting the implementation update of NPRGS, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, said, “Following the release of N50 billion, programmes that have achieved 100% completion include the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP) and Construction of Rural Roads, among others.

“A total number of direct beneficiaries of the implemented programmes currently stands at 1,818,782 vulnerable Nigerians, and a total of 9,527 Nigerians have also been directly employed through the implementation of the programmes so far.”

Accordingly, the Committee approved the sum of N250 billion for the execution of projects for the year 2023.

It stated that the next phase of the project’s execution includes providing 100,000 homes for low-income earners, 1,200 solar street lights for rural communities, and N9 billion in support funds for 1.6 million vulnerable smallholder farmers.

Despite FG’s interventions, Nigeria’s poverty rate in 2022 has remained at 63 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.