Presidency Compiling List to Begin Payment of N5000 to Nigerians

Speaking in an exclusive interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday, Maryam Uwais, the special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on social interventions, revealed that the federal government is to open a register for the poor and vulnerable persons.

Uwais said the register would promote due process and reduce the number of vulnerable and poor people in the country.

“I urge community leaders to be sincere and transparent in selecting genuine poor and vulnerable people in their areas. They live among the people, so we believe they can help us out in identifying the real people that need government’s assistance.

“We will still meet with the state focal persons on the conditions for the national cash transfer,” he said.

According to TheCable News, the coordinator, National Social Safety Net, Peter Papker, who also spoke to NAN, disclosed that the national cash transfer fund was aimed at reducing extreme poverty in the society, adding that it would also bridge the gap of inequality between the rich and the poor.

“Five thousand naira has been earmarked for each vulnerable and poor person per household. At the end of the exercise, the living conditions of the people will improve,” he said.

According to unverified reports which emerged online few hours ago, the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme with biometric capture and account opening, has already commenced in Borno state camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The programme is a part of the scheme under the ‘Social Investment Programmes’ of the Federal Government and one million extremely poor Nigerians are expected to be receiving a monthly pay of N5000.

Laolu Akande, the special assistant to the vice president Yemi Osinbajo, clarified that for the CCT, the money would be paid directly to the recipients through a payment system that was being worked out.

He added that the World Bank and the Bill Gates Foundation were also cooperating with the FG to develop an efficient payment system. “All together, about N60bn has been estimated to be paid out to extremely poor Nigerians”, Akande said.