The Federal Government has disclosed that more than N600 billion has been disbursed to over 10 million households across Nigeria through its cash transfer programme since President Bola Tinubu assumed office three years ago. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, made the disclosure on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to Doro, the initiative is targeted at poor and vulnerable households, with the government hoping to ease financial pressure and improve living conditions. He said the number of households reached could represent about 40 million Nigerians, based on an average household size of four people.
The minister also highlighted other efforts aimed at helping Nigerians become more economically independent. He said more than 18,000 people have been trained under a vocational skills programme, with beneficiaries receiving starter kits and stipends. Participants also received training in areas such as business management and accounting to help them start and manage their own businesses.
Defending the value of the cash transfers, Doro acknowledged that N25,000 may appear small to some Nigerians, but argued that the amount can make a meaningful difference to households living in extreme poverty. He said his ministry’s responsibility is to ensure that improvements in the wider economy are eventually felt by ordinary Nigerians at the household level.
Beyond cash transfers and skills training, the minister said the government is also supporting farmers through separate interventions designed to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty. He added that the government is monitoring projections of rising food insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria and has introduced food and nutrition interventions across 10 northern states, stressing that projected figures do not necessarily mean everyone identified will become food insecure.
source: Vanguard
