The Federal Government on Thursday said it has resumed the payment of its Household Uplifting Programme-Conditional Cash Transfer (HUP-CCT) stipends to 29, 000 beneficiaries in nine Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom
.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Household Uplifting Programme-Conditional Cash Transfer (HUP-CCT) is managed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.Mrs Christiana Akpan, Head of Unit, Akwa Ibom Cash Transfer, said the disbursement started on Tuesday in Ikono Local Government Area and continued in Uruan and Nsit Atai LGAs on Thursday.Akpan said that Ukanafun, Oruk Anam, Eastern Obolo, Mkpat Enin, Nsit Ubium and Onna Local Government Areas would be covered simultaneously in the next batch of payment.Akpan said that each beneficiary would go home with arrears of N30, 000 in line with the federal government mandate of lifting millions of households from poverty.“
Today, we are recommencing and continuing the payment to our beneficiaries in Akwa Ibom. Today, we are in Uruan Local Government Area and also in Nsit Atai but right now, this is Uruan LGA that we are doing payment.“In Uruan LGA, we have a total of 3, 935 beneficiaries today and in Akwa Ibom as a whole, we have a total of 29, 917 beneficiaries in this programme, which cuts across nine LGAs, of Uruan, Nsit Atai and Nsit Ubium for Akwa Ibom North East senatorial district.“And for Akwa Ibom South senatorial district, we have Mkpat Enin, Onna and Eastern Obolo and in Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district, we have Ikono, Ukanafun and Oruk Anam LGAs.“We have done payment in Ikono on Tuesday and we are going to other LGAs as we have scheduled our itinerary with the independent monitors.“We are paying them a total sum of N789, 750, 000 million, that’s what we are paying only in this particular batch.“
The journey so far has been smooth if I must tell you, except for very few challenges, which is not peculiar to Akwa Ibom alone.“I want to use this opportunity to thank the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq; she has really impacted much on the vulnerable women in the state.“I will also appreciate the Natioanal Project Coordinator, Hajia Halima Shehu, she is overseeing us well and we really appreciate their efforts for making it possible that we pay the backlog,” Akpan said.
She commended the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for its sensitivity toward the plight of the less-privileged in the society.“This programme by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is highly sensitive to the plight of the people and is commendable. Many lives are being touched,” she said.Akpan disclosed that some of the beneficiaries received their money through digitalisation where beneficiaries would be paid through their bank accounts.Speaking to NAN, one of the beneficiaries, Mr Gregory Asuquo, from Oku Ikot Edon in Uruan LGA, said he collected N30, 000 and would put it into his cooperative to yield more money.
“I have collected my money which is N30, 000, courtesy of the Federal Government. I have opened a cooperative account to invest this money because this is not the first time I am collecting the money, this is my third time,” Asuquo said. Another beneficiary, Mrs Itoro Bassey, said she would use the money to improve her rice marketing business and help her family.“I have collected my N30, 000, this is my fourth time of collecting the money.
The money has been very helpful as I have added it to my trade to support my family.“I used the money to trade in my rice market business to support my husband. I thank the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari for this kind gesture to us,” she said. (NAN)
