Lockdown: No Nigerian is hungry; we have disbursed N20,000 each to poor Nigerians – FG

Following the Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and some state governors’ lockdown the country in order to battle the spread of Covid-19, otherwise known as Coronavirus, the federal government has disbursed N20,000 Naira each to poor Nigerians and vulnerable persons affected by the Lock down all over the country.

Newsflash247 had earlier reported that the Federal Government had commenced the disbursement of N20,000 Conditional Cash Transfer to indigent households (poor) at the Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

This is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to help reduce the effect of President Muhammadu’s lockdown order following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadia Umar-Farouk, said on Wednesday while kick starting the disbursement that due to the scourge of COVID-19, the Federal Government is giving out N20,000 per person for the next four months starting from March 2020.

She explained that the President during his broadcast last week directed that the Conditional Cash Transfer should be given in advance of two months.

“We have directed immediate cash transfer to the poorest and most vulnerable households in the country,” she said.

“Because of this COVID-19, the vulnerable groups have to expand, because we are aware that there are people who live on daily wage, so we are also going to look at those groups of people to see how we can get this food relief intervention to them in this period.”

According to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouq has said 2.6m vulnerable persons are currently to benefit from the Federal government cash transfer intervention programme.

Also, over 11m households have been identified in 35 states to benefit from the palliative measure.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: FG Begins N20,000 Conditional Cash Transfer to Poor Households in Abuja

Fielding questions from newsmen at the presidential task force media briefing on Thursday, the minister said 6 vulnerable persons are identified in each household.

Out of the 2.6 million, Farouq said the FCT has 5,982 households, in Nasarawa, 8,271; Katsina, 6,732; and Anambra state has 1,367 households respectively.

She further said the ministry is working seriously to cover additional 1m households subsequently.

Insisting that there was no favoritism in the palliative support, Farouq stressed that the ministry capture the vulnerable persons by community engagement.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: FG Identifies LGs in 35 states to Benefit N20,000 Conditional Cash Transfer

This, she revealed that the ministry usually meet with the community leaders who decide those who are most vulnerable in the areas.

 “The SIP has been on since 2016 and the social national register that we have as at March 31, 2020 is made up of 11,450,537 poor and vulnerable people in 35 states and 453 Local Government Areas across the country.

“Now, currently the beneficiaries that we give this cash transfer to are 2.6million people.

“In FCT, we have 5,982 households, in Nasarawa, we have 8,271 households, Katsina has 6,732 households, and Anambra has 1,367 households.

And by general standard, household’s composition is 6 persons.

“We are thinking of expanding the register, we are in touch with the UN social protection donor group to see how the register can be rapidly expanded to cover additional 1million households.

But we have 11.4 million households in the register that are ready for this intervention.

“The way the people are captured is by community engagement. We go in and reach the community, opinion leaders, religious leaders who are the ones that decide which families fall within that category of poor and vulnerable households.

And that is what we use, so there is really accountability and transparency in this regard,” Farouq stated.

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