On Tuesday, September 29, 2020, the excitement was palpable and could be touched when thousands of people from 9 Local Government areas in Akwa-Ibom State came out for the official commencement of the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer, one of the pro-poor intervention schemes under the Social Investment Programme (SIP).
On ground to receive the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq 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 who are mostly women will share N993, 450,000 covering stipends for about 8 months.
During the flag-off of the scheme at the Holy Child Primary School, Nung Udoe Itak Ikono, Local Government Area, Sadiya Farouq noted that women in rural communities across Nigeria and in Akwa-Ibom, in particular, are important economic agents who sustain the rural economy with their trade and other vocations, adding that the women despite other challenges have continued to thrive in all areas of human endeavour against all odds.
”Women from Akwa Ibom have played and continued to play a 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 prioritized social protection interventions to pull 100 million people out of poverty over the course of 10 years.”
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The Minister underscores the importance President Muhammadu Buhari and his government places on easing the burden of poverty on Nigerians especially those on the lower rung of the ladder noting that the President principally created her Ministry to have a more coordinated and sustainable approach to Humanitarian and Social Development in Nigeria.
“As part of efforts to actualize this dream, the government established the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to consolidate on existing social safety net programs at the Federal level, ensure policy cohesion and effective implementation of social protection programs in the country,” the Minister said.
Umar Farouq 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 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.”
Beneficiaries of the CCT in Akwa-Ibom were enrolled in 2019 and commencement of payment was delayed due to logistics issues and the need to clean up the register to enthrone more openness and transparency. The Minister assured that the beneficiaries will get all that has accrued to them since 2019 when they were formally enrolled.
“I must note that the payment cycle should have commenced in September 2019 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 using this opportunity to assure Your Excellency that as I flag-off the Conditional Cash Transfer at Holy Child Primary School, Nung Udoe Itak Ikono LGA, all the backlogs for selected beneficiary Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State will be paid,” the Minister assured the Governor of Akwa Ibom and the people.
In his address at the official launch, Deputy Governor of state, Mr Moses Frank Ekpo, who represented the Governor thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for extending the Conditional Cash Transfer to Akwa Ibom and called on the minister to also send more palliatives to the state to assist the indigenes whose means of livelihood had been negatively impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The government and people of our state are happy that this Social Investment Programme of the Federal Government, especially the Cash Transfer to the very poor who need the money has finally come. The essence of government is to look after the welfare of the people. We thank you, Honourable Minister, for coming to personally flag off this initiative in Akwa-Ibom. It clearly shows the importance the President and your Ministry attach to this programme. As a government, we will continue to cooperate and collaborate with the Federal Government to get all the benefits of the Social Investment Programmes for our people,” noted the Deputy Governor.
Breakdown of the 9 participating Local Government Areas and number of beneficiary households and amount per local government are 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).
Since it was launched in 2016, the Conditional Cash Transfer has been a major tool for the economic transformation of rural and underserved communities across Nigeria. It has benefited women mostly, many of whom have formed cooperative groups around their monthly N5000 stipends from where they have raised capital to start small businesses through which they have been able to contribute to their household economy. So far, a total of 6,107,524 direct beneficiaries across the country are receiving cash of N5000 while N1, 147,084,650 was saved from the scheme by 28,817 saving groups and 10,354 Cooperatives were registered by the beneficiaries of the CCT.
In the same vein, the Minister same day of September 29th, 2020, was in Lagos to attend the launch of Unconditional Cash Transfer for those most affected in poor communities by Covid-19 in Lagos. 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 in Lagos state, largely funded by the European Union (EU). With a total 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 the resilience of communities in selected Local Government Areas (LGAS) across the state, deeply impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq who could not make it to Lagos on time due to flight schedule from Uyo on the same day of September 29th, 2020 to personally attend the launch in
Lagos, sent the Special Assistant to the President on Social Investment to stand in for her. 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 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 3 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 4 million households following the presidential directive of March 29th stressing that her Ministry will continue to work with the State Governments to ensure continued rapid expansion of the Register.
She said further, “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 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 Center of Excellence but Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre.”
