The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwada has assured Nigerians that the ministry will eliminate any form of political influence on the Federal Government’s conditional cash transfer scheme.
The minister stressed that, in collaboration with the World Bank and civil society organisations, the ministry would ensure that the conditions attached to the scheme are strictly met by the beneficiaries.
Yilwatda disclosed this on Monday while appearing as a guest on a live television programme.
“Some people want us to bend and allow the governors or the states to generate the list and send it. It’s a conditional transfer; conditions are attached to qualifying for the social safety net.
“So, we will not bend to allow any political affiliation or attachment to this conditional cash transfer. Poverty doesn’t know political parties, poverty doesn’t know tribes, poverty doesn’t even understand the grammar we speak. A poor person is a poor person,” Yilwada said.
He added, “This initiative is a partnership between us and the international community – the World Bank is involved, CSOs (civil society organisations) are involved, and it’s not just a ministry activity.”
Yilwada highlighted that the conditional cash transfers would be fully digitised, relying on the National Identification Number and Bank Verification Number to ensure transparency.
“It is going to be digital. This time around, we are involving the CSOs so they can verify payments, conduct follow-ups, and help ensure transparency in what we are doing,” he added.
The minister also revealed that Nigeria’s social register currently includes 19.8 million people, though only 1.2 million individuals have been validated so far.
“Currently, we have a social register with 19.8 million people, but when you have a list, you need to validate it. For now, only about 1.2 million people have been validated.
“We need to validate the entire register to ensure the right people benefit. We will authenticate their locations, houses, and GPS coordinates to confirm their existence and poverty status. Social indices such as access to water, healthcare, education, and economic facilities will be used to determine the poorest of the poor,” he said.
This initiative aims to support at least 10 million displaced households, primarily targeting the most vulnerable members of society.
The Federal Government has approved N4 billion for conditional cash transfers to vulnerable households nationwide.
The cash transfer programme is scheduled to begin in February 2025 and run through April, addressing the immediate needs of families affected by displacement, particularly in the North-East region.
In September 2024, the Federal Government announced that it had disbursed N24.78 billion under the National Cash Transfer Programme to 991,261 poor households as part of its poverty alleviation efforts.
The cash transfer initiative, spearheaded by the National Social Investment Programme Agency, had beneficiaries across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
NSIPA National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer, Badamasi Lawal, explained that the disbursement aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He noted that, in August 2024, the Federal Government had paid N3.83bn to 153,038 households.
