The Federal Government says it is set to disburse ₦54.9 billion to 2,119,000 vulnerable households across the country before the end of August, as part of its renewed social intervention efforts.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television, noting that the funds will be released through the National Social Security Office (NASCO) using the National Social Register, which captures Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens.
According to him, the intervention will take the form of a rapid conditional cash transfer, with each beneficiary household receiving ₦65,000 in three installments within a short interval.
“People may say ₦75,000 is nothing, but to a lot of Nigerians, ₦75,000 is big money,” he explained.
The Minister highlighted that transparency and accountability will guide the process, stressing that this phase of distribution will not be carried out anonymously. Instead, the ministry plans to make the exercise public, involving the press, providing detailed data per state, and even allowing confirmation through the World Bank.
He revealed that previous phases of distribution had reached 5.9 million Nigerians, with 71% of beneficiaries located in the North due to higher vulnerability levels, while 29% were in the South.
The Minister emphasized that making the intervention process open is key to building trust.
“We will tell each state the amount being disbursed and the beneficiaries. Anyone can confirm, and can also verify,” he said.
The Federal Government believes that this round of cash transfers will provide relief for millions of vulnerable Nigerians struggling under harsh economic conditions.
There’s no doubt that if disbursed well, it will be of great benefit to many Nigerians, yet one may still ask the source of this funding as the Government continues to collect loans in billions of dollars and accumulate debt.
