Etim Ekpimah
The Federal Government has disbursed over N993.45m to 24,929 vulnerable households in nine Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom under its Conditional Cash Transfer programme on Tuesday.
Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, said this during the disbursement of the money at Ikono LGA near Uyo.
According to Farouq, the selected local government areas represented 30 per cent of the council areas in the state.
She added that each of the beneficiaries will receive between N30,000 and N40,000.
The benefiting council areas in the state are Eastern Obolo, Ikono, Mkpat Enin, Nsit Atai, Nsit Ubium, Onna, Oruk Anam, Ukanafun and Uruan.
She said that the Conditional Cash Transfer programme, a component of the social protection schemes of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, is aimed at taking 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
”Apart from the war against corruption, President Buhari has prioritized social protection interventions to pull 100 million people out of poverty over the course of 10 years.
‘The payment cycle could have started in September in 2019, but issues faced with the payment service provider delayed payment has now been resolved,’ she said.
The Minister apologized for the delay in the disbursement of monies to beneficiaries.
In her welcome remarks, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr Ini Adiakpan appreciated the federal government’s gesture.
Adiakpan urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the gesture to encourage the federal government to do more.
“The benefits of implementing the Conditional Cash Transfer intervention in Nigeria has been enormous especially in health, nutrition and education.
‘These are critical areas for which every responsible government must concern itself.
”Akwa Ibom state keyed into the programme in the middle of 2019, with nine pilot local government areas.
“The State Operating Coordinating Unit (SUCO) enumerated about 126,000 households with almost 80,000 making the beneficiaries list, and we are grateful that today about 24,929 are the first set of beneficiaries,” Adiakpan said.
Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom represented by his deputy, Mr Moses Ekpo had earlier received the Minister at the State Government House, Uyo.
Emmanuel used the occasion to he thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for initiating the programme.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Christiana Umo, expressed her gratitude to the FG for the kind gesture.
She told journalists that she would invest the money in small business to assist her family.