The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the delayed payment of the Conditional Cash Transfer Fund to Nigerians.
This decision followed the adoption of a motion presented by Rep. Abass Adigun (PDP-Oyo) during a plenary session held on Wednesday in Abuja.
In his motion, Adigun highlighted that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Bank, launched the Social Safety Nets Programme for Nigeria in September 2016.
The initiative is implemented through the National Cash Transfer Office, which oversees the Household Uplifting Programme, Conditional Cash Transfers, designed to support poor and vulnerable households nationwide.
Growth and social inclusion strategies
Adigun explained that the programme forms part of the Federal Government’s broader growth and social inclusion strategies aimed at addressing critical social challenges.
- To ensure effective delivery, nominees were informed in August 2024 that they would receive ₦50,000 each for three months. Details of the nominees were submitted online via a dedicated portal to the National Cash Transfer Office.
- The payments were intended to be deposited directly into the nominees’ bank accounts to alleviate economic hardship, particularly for the most vulnerable.
However, Adigun noted discrepancies in the disbursement process. “Some nominees received payment months after the information was completed and submitted to the portal, while other nominees have not, and the National Cash Transfer Office has not responded to the payment of other nominees to date,” he stated.
In response, Deputy Speaker Rep. Benjamin Kalu directed the Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Humanitarian Affairs to investigate the delays in payments and submit a report within four weeks for further legislative action.
What you should know
The programme faced a setback in January 2024 when President Bola Tinubu suspended it due to allegations of corruption.
- However, the Federal Government announced its resumption a month later, targeting an additional 12 million households for direct payments.
- In December, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, revealed that the Federal Government aims to reach 15 million households and 75 million individuals through the conditional cash transfer scheme. Each household is set to receive ₦25,000 per month, three times a year.
“This move is part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to cushion the impacts of economic hardship on vulnerable Nigerians,” Yilwatda stated. He added that five million individuals have already been reached, with efforts underway to sanitize the social register. “The new policy of the CBN requires that you must have a digital identity before you’re given any money to ensure transparency and traceability of funds,” he explained.
Additionally, the Federal Government plans to use conditional cash transfers to boost school enrollment and reduce the high number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
