One of the cardinal intentions of President Muhammadu Buhari is to reduce the level of poverty among Nigeria. To realise this, he launched some social intervention schemes in 2016; one of which is the Unconditional Cash Transfer; a pro-poor intervention scheme. On September 29, 2020, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq was in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State to in collaboration with Lagos State, EU and UNDP to launch the scheme in which more than 20,000 individuals benefited. The same scheme was also inaugurated in Lagos the same day.

 For several hours on Tuesday, September 29, the playground of Holy Child Primary School, Nung Udoe Itak in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State was suffused with over 20, 000 beneficiaries from nine local government areas of the state who converged there for the official commencement of the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer. The programme is one of the pro-poor intervention schemes under the Social Investment Programme (SIP).

The playground of the school was literally shut as the huge crowd made their way to the venue to be part of the event. Excitement filled the air, even as the beneficiaries were full of expectation.

There was heavy drumming, singing, trumpeting and breathtaking dance steps by excited members of the communities who thrilled guests and the high profile dignitaries.

The weather was clement as the sun shone brightly out of the azure sky.

The people gathered because the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq was in Akwa-Ibom to launch the Conditional Cash Transfer which will give the people a new lease of life.

On ground to receive the minister and her entourage was Akwa-Ibom State Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Frank Ekpo, who represented Governor Udom Emmanuel.

The 24,929 beneficiaries of the cash transfer from the oil-rich state that are mostly women will share N993, 450,000 covering stipends for about eight months.

”Women from Akwa-Ibom State have played and continued to play prominent role in poverty eradication in the state and are pivotal to our poverty elimination programmes. Apart from the war against corruption, President Buhari has prioritised social protection interventions to pull 100 million people out of poverty over the course of 10 years,” Umar Farouq said.

Sadiya Farouq noted that women in rural communities across Nigeria and in Akwa-Ibom State in particular, are important economic agents who sustain the rural economy with their trade and other vocations, even as she added that the women, despite other challenges, have continued to thrive in all areas of human endeavour against all odds.

She said President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration places importance on easing the burden of poverty on Nigerians, especially those on the lower rung of the ladder. She also said the President principally created her ministry to have a more coordinated and sustainable approach to humanitarian and social development in Nigeria.

Farouq further explained that other social protection schemes such as the Conditional Cash Transfer, the Youth Employment and Social Support Operations, Community and Social Development Programme were established under the coordination of National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) to implement the Federal Government’s poverty alleviation intervention schemes.

“A coordinating body has also been set up with support from the World Bank, alongside a Social Register of Poor and Vulnerable Households (PVHHs) for targeted programmes,” she said.

Recall that beneficiaries of the CCT in Akwa-Ibom State were enrolled last year, even though commencement of payment was delayed due to issues of logistics and the need to clean up the register to enthrone more openness and transparency. Based on this, the minister assured that the beneficiaries will get all that has accrued to them since last year when they were formally enrolled.

“I must note that the payment cycle should have commenced in September, last year when the beneficiaries were enrolled. However, issues of inefficiency with the previous Payment Service Provider led to their termination and the subsequent recruitment of a replacement.

“I am, therefore, assuring Your Excellency that as I inaugurate the Conditional Cash Transfer at Holly Child Primary School, Nung Udoe Itak Ikono Local Government Area, all the backlogs for selected beneficiary local government areas in Akwa-Ibom State will be paid,” the minister assured Governor Emmanuel.

Deputy Governor Moses Frank Ekpo, who represented Governor Emmanuel, was excited. He thanked President Buhari for extending the Conditional Cash Transfer to Akwa Ibom, even as he called on the minister to also send more palliatives to the state to assist those who are indigenous to the state whose means of livelihood had been negatively impacted upon as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The government and people of Akwa Ibom State are happy that the Social Investment Programme of the Federal Government, especially the Cash Transfer to the very poor who needs the money, has finally come. The essence of government is to look after the welfare of the people. We thank you, our minister for coming to personally inaugurate this initiative in Akwa-Ibom State. It clearly shows the importance the President and your ministry attach to this programme.

“As a government, we will continue to co-operate and collaborate with the Federal Government to get all the benefits of the Social Investment Programmes for our people,” Ekpo said.

Breakdown of the nine participating local government areas and the number of beneficiary households and amount per local government are as follows: Easrern Ibolo 2,170  (N86,790,000), Mkpat Enin 2,889 (N115, 290,000), Nsit Atai 3,657 (N145,660,000), Nsit Ubium 2,213 (N88,110,000), Onna 3,058 (N121,860,000) Ukanafun 1,935 (N76,770,000), Uruan 3,169 (N126,110,000) and Orukanam 2,523 (N100,920,000) and Ikono 2,889 (N115,290,000).

In a bid to impact positively on the lives of the poor in Nigeria, President Buhari launched the Conditional Cash Transfer through which the downtrodden receive some funds from the government to start new businesses or enhance their existing ones.

Since its launch in 2016, the scheme has been a major tool for economic transformation in the rural and underserved communities across Nigeria. It has benefited women mostly, many of whom have formed co-operative groups around their monthly N5, 000 stipends from where they have raised capital to start small businesses through which they have been able to contribute to their household economy.

Records show that so far, a total of 6,107,524 direct beneficiaries across the country are receiving cash of N5, 000 while N1, 147,084,650 was saved from the scheme by 28,817 saving groups and 10,354 co-operatives were registered by the beneficiaries of the CCT.

After her assignment in Akwa Ibom State, the minister moved down to Lagos State on the same day to launch the Unconditional Cash Transfer for those mostly affected by COVID-19 in Lagos poor communities.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Lagos State government and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDS) collaborated on the Unconditional Cash Transfer project targeting the poor and vulnerable, funded by the European Union (EU).

With the sum of N 885.5 million, the project implemented under the Nigeria One UN COVID-19 Response, seeks to alleviate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic on the beneficiaries and strengthen resilience of communities in selected local government areas across the state, deeply impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Umar Farouq was represented at the Lagos event by the Special Assistant to the President on Social Investment, Mrs. Maryam Uwais.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr Ketil Karlsen and the UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Mohamad Yahya, witnessed the unveiling of the project in Lagos.

Lagos State not only has the largest number of recorded cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria but also the highest number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) nationwide at over three million micro-enterprises and more than 8,000 SMEs, which have been adversely affected by the pandemic.

In key areas such as Victoria Island, Ikorodu, Ifako-Ijaye, Alimosho, Apapa and Lagos Mainland, 22,600 families will benefit from cash transfers, while over 5,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups will receive funding for business continuity or innovative start-ups that will benefit their communities.

At the launch of the Unconditional Cash Transfer in Lagos, the Minister expressed her happiness on the reliability of the National Social Register which provides the most reliable data of poor and vulnerable people in Nigeria and how the register which the EU and UNDP relied on was expanded to four million households following the presidential directive of March 29. She stressed that her ministry would continue to work with the state governments to ensure continued rapid expansion of the Register.

She said: “I am gratified that the ministry is working alongside the UNDP in implementing this intervention, courtesy funds generated via the One UN COVID-19 Response Basket Fund.

“By offering shock responsive social safety nets such as cash transfers to vulnerable groups, this intervention by the One UN COVID-19 Response Basket Fund will go a long way in helping MSME’s jump-start their businesses and rebuild their livelihoods.

“This is critical given that MSMEs are the engine room of growth for developing economies such as ours. Lagos occupies a pivotal position in the scheme of things not just as the Centre of Excellence but Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre,” she said.

Source: The Nation