FG commences payment N5,000 monthly to 1 million poorest citizens.

In a statement released, Monday, by Laolu
Akande, Senior Special Assistant on Media and
Publicity to Vice president Yemi Osinbajo, the
government stated that the payment was
effected through the Conditional Cash Transfer,
CCT, of the government’s Social Investment
Programmes, SIP. .
.
One million Nigerians would receive N5,000
monthly payments under the CCT as a form of
social safety net for the poorest and most
vulnerable as budgeted for in the 2016
Budget.
.
.
Akande added that many of the beneficiaries
have already reported receiving their first
payments in the first batch that commenced
last week. “In the first batch that commenced
last week, nine states would be covered.”
.
.
The statement listed Borno, Kwara, Bauchi,
Cross Rivers, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti
states as states in the first batch to commence
the CCT payment.
.
.
It however said that the states were selected
because they had a social register that
identified the vulnerable and poorest
Nigerians. According to the statement, the FG,
with the support of the World Bank, has
adopted the Community Based Targeting (CBT)
for developing the social register in the other
states for transparency, objectivity and
credibility.
.
.
Other states listed to have complied with the
social register include Plateau, Jigawa,
Adamawa, Anambra, Benue, Enugu, Katsina,
Taraba, Delta, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Imo and
Ogun States. .
.
Akande said the N-Power Volunteer Corps
designed to hire half a million unemployed
graduates has now engaged 200,000, and the
National Homegrown School Feeding
Programme now runs in 3 states.
.
.
He said the FG has also kicked-off the
Government Enterprise and Empowerment
Programme, GEEP. “Under GEEP, soft loans
ranging from N10,000 to 100,000 have been
designed for artisans, traders, market women
among others. .
.
Commenting on the 200,000 beneficiaries of
the N-power programme, Akande said about
100,000 graduates have been physically
verified and have started receiving their
N30,000 stipends.
.
.
The FG reiterated its commitment to touching
the lives of vulnerable Nigerians, in fulfilment
of its Change agenda.