Oyo State government warns co-ordinators of Federal Government’s SIP against extortion

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Oyo State government warns co-ordinators of Federal Government’s SIP against extortion

NMA kicks against reopening of schools

The Oyo State Government has warned co-ordinators of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programmes (SIP) to steer clear of extortion.

The state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, who also doubles as the Focal Person for Oyo State SIP, Alhaja Faosat Sanni, gave the warning yesterday while addressing the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) officers at a one-day orientation and sensitisation training for selected 14 local councils in the state held at the ministry’s conference room.

Sanni, who said conflict constantly occurs and could jeopardise the success of the programme if urgent action was not taken, urged the officers to desist from extorting beneficiaries of the programme as such could bring to naught any success that were envisioned by the planners and government.

She said the GRM officers were engaged to deal with grievances at grassroots in order not to escalate or become a stumbling block to the success of the programme.

“As key stakeholders in the execution of the project, the knowledge of how to handle grievances in both formal and informal techniques, standard process to handle grievances, analysis and feedback from the beneficiaries, as well as basic principles in handling and managing grievances under this programme, would be addressed.

“The Federal Government has been ready to play its own part to possibly alleviate poverty in the country, especially among the poorest of households. GRM officers should not give room for failure because of political influence or differences thereby denying your state and your people from benefiting from the programme,” she said.

In another development, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Oyo State has warned against reopening of schools in Oyo State.

It, however, lauded the efforts of the Governor Seyi Makinde-led COVID-19 Task Force in Oyo State for its efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in the state.

The association, in a statement jointly signed by the NMA its Chairman, Dr. Akin Sodipo and Secretary, Dr. Okuwaseun Adebayo, which was made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, said that the announcement by the state government that final year primary and secondary school students should resume on June 29 was a surprising one.

It, therefore, urged Makinde to reconsider his decision to reopen schools and religious centres for the time being.