620,947 poor Nigerians get FG’s N3.1bn monthly

Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja

A total of 620,947 poor and vulnerable Nigerians are benefiting from the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme of the Federal Government, a report from the National Social Investment Office has indicated.

Statistics from the office shows that the 620,947 beneficiaries are located in 29 states of the Federation.

Under the CCT programme, a monthly stipend of N5,000 is paid monthly to poor and vulnerable Nigerians. Based on the 620, 947 poor people that are currently benefitting from the programme, about N3.1bn is being spent monthly by the Federal Government in the 29 states.

The Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Maryam Uwais, said the beneficiaries were picked from the National Social Register.

“We currently have data from 33 states and are paying in 29 states only until we can enroll the caregivers in the remaining states.

“In the meantime, the data continues to grow. Even within the 33 states, we haven’t covered the entire jurisdiction in any of them as we have just begun in some, covered 30 per cent, and then in 50 per cent and beyond in others,” she said.

The beneficiaries of the programme are drawn from states such as Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna and Kano.

The programme also has beneficiaries from Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, and Taraba, among others.

The Presidency had said last month the Federal Government used funds recovered from the late Sani Abachi’s loot to address the plight of the poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

The National Social Investment Office had said, “The  National  Cash Transfer  Programme  delivers  timely  and  accessible  cash  transfers  of N5,000  per  month  to  enrolled  caregivers  of  the  households on  the  National Social Register, aimed at addressing their household consumption needs and towards building their capacities for sustainable livelihoods immediately.”

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