In just six months, the Federal Government(FG) has reached six million Nigerians through its Conditional Cash Transfer programme. This was shared by Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction. He spoke during a visit to participants of the Skills-to-Wealth (S2W) training in Jos.
The minister said the programme by the FG had only helped two million people in the last nine years. That means only 200,000 people were supported each year. He explained that a new approach has made the recent progress possible. “In six months, we have reached out to six million people; it simply means that we are doing one million people per month,” he said.
Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda
One of the new steps is digitising the list of people who qualify. Households are being given digital ID cards and e-wallet accounts. Officials are also visiting homes to check if the people on the list are real and in need. Many names were removed due to errors or because they could not be verified.
The government wants to reach even more people. “The President wants to ensure that before October, we can support 15 million households,” the minister said.
To make sure the right people are getting help, the ministry worked with the World Bank. “After we delivered to the first four million people, I asked the World Bank to set an independent team to do a verification of these people we are paying,” he added. The World Bank visited homes and met 96% of the people in person. The other 4% were in places that are hard to reach or had moved because of insecurity.
The minister also spoke about the Skills-to-Wealth programme. It is helping young Nigerians learn practical skills in farming, renewable energy, and auto work. The goal is to give them the tools to earn a living and reduce poverty.
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