The Ondo State Government (ODSG) has started training no fewer than 350 enumerators that will be monitoring and inspecting those who will be given various loans meant to cushion the effects of COVID-19 pandemic under Nigeria-Cares (N-Cares) Project.
Mr Olatunji Ifabiyi, the Special Adviser on Commerce, Industry and Cooperative Services to the state governor, said this on Friday in Akure while declaring open the training.
Ifabiyi said that the project which would be funded by the Federal Government in collaboration with the state government is to mitigate the harshness of COVID-19 pandemic in various capacities and fields of the economy of the state.
Ifabiyi said that the N-Cares Project would alleviate the sufferings of the people and reduce poverty status in the state.
“Nigerian action response is a joint effort of both the World Bank and the Federal Government in collaboration with the state government to cushion the effects of COVID-19 pandemic in our economy.
“This could not have been possible without the involvement of President Muhammadu Buhari, Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and the state Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.
“I also appreciate the present administration in the state for leaving no stone unturned in ensuring full recovery of the economy with intervention that involves sustaining and re-energising old industries and developing new ones,” he said.
He urged the enumerators to pay attention to their trainers so that they would be able to perform creditably well when they get to the fields in order to revitalise Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.
The special adviser assured the Federal Government that those that would benefit from the loan would adhere strictly to the repayment agreements.
Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Emmanuel Igbasan, explained that the purpose of the training is to enable the enumerators capture the remittances of those that would benefit from the N-Cares Project.
“They are capturing those that will be given money after being trained on how to use the Bank of Industry-empowered application.
“They are called N-Cares agents. They will be managing everything that relates to the funds to be given out and monitoring the activities of beneficiaries,” he said.
Igbasan, who was represented by Mr Bunmi Alade, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, urged those that would benefit from the loan facilities to do things as expected, adding: “If we do it right, the more we will have.
In her remarks, Mrs Kosemani Kolawole, the Chairman of the Ondo State Micro Credit Agency (OSMA), explained that the project would capture MSMEs.
She said that the Federal Government’s gesture would ameliorate the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and boost economic activities in the state.
Kolawole noted that, “the enumerators are to go to the fields; help identify people, take their records and details and these will have great positive effects on our economy.”