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The Federal Government is set to commence cash transfers in the country to alleviate poverty across Nigeria.
ADULAWO NEWS reports President Bola Tinubu-led government would transfer the money directly to the beneficiaries through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and not through consultants.
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The first batch of bulk payments would begin next week for five million households.
The Conditional Cash Transfer scheme is part of the National Social Investment Programme of the Federal Government, which is a project created to change the lives of millions of Nigerians living in extreme poverty, upgrade their standards of living and improve the economy.
In commemoration of the 2023 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Tuesday in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu launched the disbursement of N25,000 to 15 million households for three months as a social safety net intervention.
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The aim is to mitigate the impact of the recent fuel subsidy removal and help eradicate poverty across the country.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is reviewing and expanding the National Social Register to accommodate pensioners and ex-servicemen under its Conditional Cash Transfer scheme.
It is also removing beneficiaries who have excited the poverty line.
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The government is also taking out dead beneficiaries from the register and disqualifying those without National Identification Numbers and Bank Verification Numbers.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Rasheed Olanrewaju while giving further details on the initiative in a chat with Punch said the cash transfer scheme had been reviewed and expanded.
When asked if the Federal Government will use the old register used by the former President, Muhammadu Buhari administration to transfer the money, he said, “We are using a verified expanded register that has pensioners and veterans, as well as other vulnerable persons who were not captured.”
Confirming the position of the minister’s media aide, the National Communications Manager of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Jamaldeen Kabir, stated that beneficiaries who had exited the poverty line were being removed from the register.
Kabir said, “What he (Olanrewaju) told you is very correct because the register is being expanded. First of all, it has to be verified so that those who are out of the poverty line will be removed from the old register.
“Those in the register, are they still within the poverty line or have they exited the line? The expansion will also include the wives of fallen heroes and pensioners.”
Olanrewaju speaking on when the cash transfer would begin, said that though bulk payments would commence from next week, some of those who had been verified had already started receiving payment alerts.
He said, “The cash transfer (scheme) has been launched and once a household is verified, they get paid. The batches begin this month, next week to be precise; however, verified people have started receiving alerts.”
Kabir also commenting on when the cash transfer would begin said, “Actually, when the programme was launched at the Presidential Villa three days ago, some beneficiaries were presented with some cheques.
“So, before this month ends, the beneficiaries in the first phase will receive theirs, and this phase caters to five million households. So, we are expecting those five million households to receive money in the months of October, November and December.”
On how many ghost recipients had been discovered, the minister’s aide stated that a lot of measures had been put in place to make the scheme credible, such as the introduction of the NIN and BVN.
Olanrewaju said, “They may not be ghosts, but we have put in place many controls to make the process credible and clean. First, we looked for the NIN and BVN to match with in-person verification and biometrics. The process is from the CBN to the beneficiaries; there are no middlemen.”
Asked to state the number of dead recipients, he replied, “We have struck off many names following the verification. The final figure will be out in weeks; it may run into millions.
“Some are dead; some are no longer in that category (of the poor) and some could not be identified at locations given, so wait till we get the compilation ready.”
Asked to state those involved in identity theft, he said, “All these will be determined when the final report is out. For now, we will pay those fully verified and the names will be pasted in communities.