The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Tanko Sununu, has defended the federal government’s efforts in supporting vulnerable Nigerians through direct financial intervention.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Thursday, Sununu disclosed that significant progress had been made under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, with hundreds of billions already disbursed.
“I’ve just mentioned, for instance, the conditional cash transfer. People thought that nothing much had been done, but as of today, over 421 billion has been transferred as a conditional cash transfer to Nigerians,” Sununu said.
He explained that eligibility for the transfer required registration in the National Social Register, adding that transparency measures had been put in place to ensure accountability.
“It’s for you to satisfy all that is needed to be in the National Social Register. Now, if you’re in the National Social Register, which we have over 18 million, 18.9 million households, there is also what we call, in terms of extracting the most vulnerable groups from another register that we call Rapid Response Register.”
Sununu noted that the verification process for beneficiaries involved multiple agencies.
“There are criteria that you must fulfil, which will be satisfied by the NASCO, and also by the NIMSI, and the World Bank,” he stated.
He said disbursement was done digitally, with funds going directly to beneficiaries’ accounts.
“It was after it’s been satisfied, and all those data are really traceable, and they’re transparent and accountable, that NCTO, National Conditional Cash Transfer Officer, will now be directed to the money directly to the account of the beneficiaries.”
Addressing concerns about previous lapses, the minister noted the initial delays were due to lack of digital identities.
“Initially, when it was given, the first tranche was given, a lot of those people do not have digital identity, and therefore it becomes very difficult to justify who and who has collected money.”
Sununu assured Nigerians that with improved data systems and increased oversight, the ministry is committed to reaching more vulnerable populations effectively.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
