Federal Government starts Payment of N5,000 to Poorest Citizens

The Federal Government of Nigeria have started the monthly payment of N5,000 to poorest citizens
     On  Monday, Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Vice president Yemi Osinbajo, released an official statement saying that the federal government stated that the payment was effected through the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT, of the government’s Social Investment Programmes, SIP. .
One million Nigerians would receive N5,000 monthly payments under the CCT as a form of social safety net for the poorest and most vulnerable as budgeted for in the 2016 Budget.
Akande added that many of the beneficiaries have already reported receiving their first payments in the first batch that commenced last week. “In the first batch that commenced last week, nine states would be covered.”
The statement listed the Nine pilot states as Borno, Kwara, Bauchi, Cross Rivers, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti states as states in the first batch to commence the CCT payment.
It however said that the states were selected because they had a social register that identified the vulnerable and poorest Nigerians. According to the statement, the FG, with the support of the World Bank, has adopted the Community Based Targeting (CBT) for developing the social register in the other states for transparency, objectivity and credibility.
Plateau, Jigawa, Adamawa, Anambra, Benue, Enugu, Katsina, Taraba, Delta, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Imo and Ogun States are the other states to have compliedgothe registration.Mr Laolu has said the N-Power Volunteer Corps designed to hire half a million unemployed graduates has now engaged 200,000, and the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme now runs in 3 states.
Mr laolu has also stated that  the FG has also kicked-off the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, GEEP. “Under GEEP, soft loans ranging from N10,000 to 100,000 have been designed for artisans, traders, market women among others. .
Talking  on the issue of 200,000 beneficiaries of the N-power programme, Akande said about 100,000 graduates have been physically verified and have started receiving their N30,000 stipends.
The FG reiterated its commitment to touching the lives of vulnerable Nigerians, in fulfilment of its Change agenda.