FG to launch conditional cash transfer for 15m households October 17th – Betta Edu

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, announced that the Federal Government is set to launch its conditional cash transfer policy for 15 million households on October 17th, 2023.

Edu made this announcement during her appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, months after the Federal Government stopped subsidies on petroleum products.

Edu stated that pending the President’s approval, the official launch of the conditional cash transfer initiative is scheduled for October 17th.

“With the approval from the President which we hope to get this week, on the 17th of October, we will be officially launching the conditional cash transfer to 15m households in Nigeria,” the minister said.

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According to her, the ministry is currently collaborating with stakeholders nationwide to create a credible registry of beneficiaries.

She emphasized the ongoing verification process, which involves personnel working with state cash transfer offices, governors heading steering committees, and other officials.

“As we speak, we are having a verification exercise. Every state can bear us witness that we have put boots on the ground – persons who are working with the state cash transfer office as well as the governors who are the heads of the steering committee and then several other persons,” she said.

“All of this is to be sure those who are on the national social register truly are Nigerians who fall [spend] within the under $1.95 a day [range] and they deserve to have it,” the minister added.

Acknowledging the possibility of deceased or economically progressed individuals still being on the register, Minister Betta highlighted the importance of the verification exercise.

“So, two things. First, as we speak, we are on the field cleaning up that data and doing a complete verification and we are juxtaposing both the BVN, NIM and the rest of it to identify these people and be sure we are dealing with authentic persons,” the 36-year-old said.

“And then, of course, there is biometrics to it and you have a capturing of the head of the household as well as a picture of the household so it can be located. On each of these households, they are numbered so people can go there and verify against the register.”