By Chimezie Godfrey
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, says it has has resolved to hand over relief materials intended for the vulnerable across the country, to state governors for ease and seamless distribution.
The Ministry also revealed that plans were ongoing to digitalise the payment of beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT, and others under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
The Minister, Sadiya Farouq, stated this on Monday, during the daily briefing by members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
“Going forward, we have decided that we are going to be handing over food relief to the governors for onward distribution to the poor and vulnerable in their states. We have started already. I was in Lagos and Ogun states last week and I handed over trucks of relief items to the governors.
“So far, we have reached out to the three affected states that have been locked down by the Federal Government, including the FCT. We have also sent food relief to Imo and Ebonyi states,” she said.
According to her, the decision to digitize the process followed complaints and controversies surrounding the distribution of cash to the beneficiaries.
On disbursement of cash to poor and vulnerable households, she said: “We give them N5,000 per month and now that Mr. President has directed that we give two months advance, this is why we are giving them N20,000.
“We hope that in the next payment, we will be able to do half of the states of the federation.
“We are also using phones, mobile wallets and the BVNs of the beneficiaries where it exists because it is not all the beneficiaries that are on the banking system.”
Farouq said they were working on the rapid expansion of the national social register, adding that the main focus now will be on the urban-poor because these are people who have become vulnerable as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown.
“We will also be focusing on Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs). Though we have some of them currently in our register, we will focus more on registering the people with special needs.”
