Re: N5,000 stipend nothing for nothing!
Indeed, I was bewildered by Mr. Eugene Enahoro’s piece of opinion over the recent commencement of paying N5,000 stipend a month for one year, under a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme (CCT) by the FG to million poorest and vulnerable Nigerians. In the article, Mr. Enahoro described the amount as adding fuel to the flames for the confrontational poverty level of the country. The piece, which appeared on page 42 of the Daily Trust newspaper, dated Tuesday, January 17, 2017, is riddled with prejudice, defeatism and negative thinking regarding the programme.
Well, in my personal view, I will begin by reminding Mr. Enahoro that this programme involves merely vulnerable and poorest Nigerians that the N5,000 is equivalent to N50,000 for them.
This programme is one of the FG’s myriad Social Intervention Schemes that earnestly set its sights on mitigating the untold miseries of vulnerable and poorest citizens. It is unfortunate that oblivious Nigerians blindly wail that the amount is meager and insufficient to meet those beneficiaries’ daily needs.
Apparently, I am certain that this N5,000 stipend could make a huge difference to those poorest citizens since they can’t even make that amount of the money in a month no matter how they strive. Only astute citizens will be able to cogitate how this programme could serve as the best or preliminary approach for creating jobs for Nigerians. I am persuaded that beneficiaries can invest the amount in mini trading in spite of its insufficiency. Obviously, God’s blessings make some differences in little things. Nino Varsimashvili said, “Sometimes, little things make difference...” John Wooden also uttered, “Little things make big things happen”.
It is undeniable that blessings always come from little things. Being grateful to the blessings of the little things is equivalent to being blessed by many desirable things. Thus, this N5,000 stipend is nothing to iniquitous wailers but its significance to the poorest citizens couldn’t be overemphasized since the beneficiaries will be able to start up mini trading. Mustapha Baba Azare, Bauchi State.