The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has commenced the disbursement of conditional cash transfer to the vulnerable households in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This year’s exercise was kicked off in Kwali Area Council with 5,000 registered beneficiaries.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Sadiya Farouq, supervised the disbursement of four months’ cash transfer to the vulnerable persons.
Farouq said 190 households in a ward in Kwali were paid N20, 000 each in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive of immediate payment to the vulnerable to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on the poor people in the country.
“As we know, the CCT is for poor and vulnerable households in the country. It is going to happen all over the country, but we are starting with FCT, Lagos, and Ogun. These are the frontline states. Other states will follow. With the current pandemic and circumstances on the ground, this amount will go a long way to support the families in their daily lives,” Farouq added.
She stated that about 5,000 households in each of the six Area Councils would receive the stipends.
Over one million vulnerable people from 35 states are enrolled in the Social Investment Programme.
The National Co-ordinator for Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Dr. Temitope Sinkaiye, said the beneficiaries were identified by their communities.
“The community members determine what poverty is in their village and who falls within that definition in their perception. We now collect these names from the community,” Sinkaiye said.
She explained that although the beneficiaries were to be paid N5,000 every two months, the payment was combined through the mobile bank because of the logistics of getting the money to them