By Monday Danladi
In a major move to boost agricultural production and empower grassroots farmers, the Bauchi State Government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management has officially launched the RH-GEEP 3.0 programme, flagging off the FarmerMoni initiative for the dry and wet farming seasons.
The event, which featured the inauguration of key stakeholders and a capacity-building session for GEEP Local Government Coordinators, is part of a broader Federal Government intervention implemented by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, aims to alleviate poverty and enhance food security by providing a revolving fund to vulnerable smallholder farmers.
During the launch, the coordination and implementation framework was detailed, bringing together a multi-agency team comprising the State Coordinator for Social Investment Programmes, the State GEEP Manager, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), and the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
Local Government Coordinators emphasized their readiness to integrate agricultural extension workers and local cooperatives to ensure the intervention reaches genuine farmers at the grassroots level.
To access the funds, eligible new applicants are required to register through the designated public portal at geep.nsipa.gov.ng
Meanwhile, farmers who have previously benefited from the FarmerMoni scheme must undergo a revalidation exercise by updating their information at fmdatarevalidation.nsipa.gov.ng
The disbursement will be strictly monitored, with eligible beneficiaries whitelisted following thorough enumeration exercises to ensure transparency.
A critical focal point of the inauguration was a stern warning regarding data security and identity theft. Officials from NIMC raised alarms over the activities of unauthorized vendors in rural areas who are extorting money from residents under the guise of National Identification Number (NIN) registration.
NIMC representatives warned that some fraudulent individuals are actively stealing citizens' NIN data to hijack government intervention funds.
Beneficiaries were strongly advised to safeguard their NINs and BVNs, avoiding third-party data collectors, as compromised identities could lead to the total loss of their FarmerMoni disbursements.
The Ministry has called upon the State Government, traditional institutions, and local authorities to intensify public enlightenment campaigns across rural and peri-urban communities to ensure the successful and secure implementation of the programme.
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