Nigeria’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program to the poor and COVID-19 pandemic. Who are the beneficiaries in your Community?

ICMS, INC EDUCATIONAL SERIES

Are you aware of Nigeria’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program in Akwa Ibom State?

ICMS, Inc Reports

By Tom Okure, PhD

___________________

Nearly half of Nigeria’s total population lives in extreme poverty. Nigerian Federal government says it has been working towards improving the poverty situation in the country, but most experts say 

government plans are inadequate and unsustainable. Last year in 2019, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in a report released in New York stated that poverty in Nigeria had risen from 86 to 98 million in ten years.  Nigeria has a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program that has been in place since December 2016 that is designed to bring poor Nigerians out of poverty.

President Buhari announced that conditional cash
payments (CCT) would be paid to poor
and vulnerable household in Nigeria

With the spread of the COVD-19 pandemic into Nigeria, efforts to cushion the extreme poor in Nigerian has become even more urgent. Abuja, Lagos, Uyo etc and many other cities in Nigeria are currently under a two week shut down and citizens all over the country are suffering because of the shut down and lack of economic activity. Many residents of major cities are starving because they have nothing to eat. The situation is made much worse because of poor and intermittent supply of electricity and lack of proper refrigeration to preserve foodstuff by most households.  Experts say that the situation in all cities are going to get worse until gradual economic activity is restored. Even where limited and controlled market and shopping economic activity has has been implemented, like in Lagos, residents complain that it is limited and ineffective because they are unable to buy any real food stuff items except limited non perishable items. In a recent televised national broadcast, President Buhari announced that conditional cash payments (CCT) would be paid to poor and vulnerable household in the lock down states of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT.

According to the Nigerian government “Beneficiaries are entitled to N5, 000 every month; however, the payment of N20, 000 now to each beneficiary is for four mouths. “It is going to happen all over the country, but we are starting with FCT, Lagos and Ogun. These are the frontline states. Other states will follow.” (See Link: Conditional Cash Transfer: FG doles out N20, 000 each to 5, 000 in FCT).

Did You Know!

That Nigeria’s N5,000 monthly cash transfer payment program has been ongoing since 2016? Is this Federal cash transfer program being implanted in Akwa Ibom State...and if so, what ministry is administering this program and how are the poor being selected to benefit from this program? Do you know any person in Akwa Ibom State benefiting from this poverty elimination program?  

Has any AKSG or Local government officials visited your village over the past two to four years to identify and collect the names of poor people especially poor people considered very vulnerable including widows, the aged, disabled individuals and those with chronic diseases and unemployed?  Do you know or are you aware of where Akwa Ibom State Cash Transfer Unit (SCTU) or office is located?

State Implementation of Conditional Cash Transfer Program

A National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) under the Office of the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria is responsible for implementing Nigeria’s CCT program and is the primary intervention arm of what is termed the National Social Safety Nets Project. In order to generate needed data to capture the Nigerian poor and vulnerable in the country a National Social Registry (NSR) was also created by the Federal Government. CCT program is a component of National Social Safety Nets Project (NASSP) which is supported by the World Bank, to provide financial support to targeted poor and vulnerable Nigerian households.

While the National NCTO mandate is to distribute the targeted cash transfer across the country, Nigerian States like Akwa Ibom State implement the federal CCT program at the state level through the State Cash Transfer Unit (SCTU). SCTU manages and coordinates the targeted cash transfer and livelihood intervention. Each local government area establishes a cash transfer team to implement activities at the community level. (See link State Implementation….National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO). 

Since the CCT program implementation in December 2016

 “Every two months, the federal government disburses nearly N3 billion to the beneficiaries. But with millions of outstretched hands in need of financial assistance, the cash transfer scheme has turned into a lottery.”…. “The N5, 000 monthly cash transfer is ultimately to bring the recipients out of poverty.  

NCTO showing CCP payments in Anambra State

But since December 2016 that the payment started, only 297, 973 caregivers are currently being paid in what appears as a drop in the ocean. Estimations suggest that about 87 million Nigerians – 44 percent of the country’s population of 196 million – live below the International Poverty Line of $1.90 (N684) a day.” (See Link: INVESTIGATION: Poorest Nigerians deprived of federal government’s cash transfer)

President Muhammadu Buhari has always reiterated his commitment to lifting millions of Nigerians from poverty. The president has repeatedly stated that:

"Our ongoing social intervention programs continue to target these vulnerable groups through the ongoing school feeding program, government economic empowerment program, ... job creation program loans for traders and artisans, conditional cash transfers to the poorest families,"

“Buhari's lofty goal is to alleviate 100 million Nigerians from poverty within the next decade. But experts say to increase the Poverty Escape Rate in the country, economic growth must remain steady and population growth controlled.” (Source: Nigerian Authorities to Alleviate Millions From Extreme Poverty)

Information Worth Knowing!

COVID-19 Virus and CCT Payments

Buhari in a recent nationwide broadcast stated that the payment is a government measure to cushion the effect of the lock down of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT on the poor and vulnerable households. 

President Buhari announced that conditional cash payments (CCT)
would be paid to poor and vulnerable household in the lock down
 states of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT

“As we know, the CCT is for poor and vulnerable households in the country. “Beneficiaries are entitled to N5, 000 every month; however, the payment of N20, 000 now to each beneficiary is for four mouths. “It is going to happen all over the country, but we are starting with FCT, Lagos and Ogun. These are the frontline states. Other states will follow. “With the current pandemic and circumstances on ground, this amount will go a long way to support the families in their daily lives. “Today, we are giving out N20, 000 each to about 190 beneficiaries in Kwali Area Councils. The total beneficiaries in FCT are 5, 000,’’ Farouq said. (See link: Conditional Cash Transfer: FG doles out N20, 000 each to 5, 000 in FCT).

After the president Buhari’s national broadcast, the “National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) has clarified that only one million vulnerable Nigerian households on the National Social Register (NSR) would get the N20,000 relief fund from the Federal Government to cushion the impact of the lockdown necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.” National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) is under the Office of the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria and is the intervention arm of the National Social Safety Nets Project.

This report is part of ICMS, Inc Report’s educational and Now You Know Information series and is designed to keep the public informed on government public policy they ought to be aware of.

Links for additional reading:

National Cash Transfer Office
Conditional Cash Transfer: FG doles out N20, 000 each to 5, 000 in FCT
INVESTIGATION: Poorest Nigerians deprived of federal government’s cash transfer
Nigerian Authorities to Alleviate Millions From Extreme Poverty

___________________

All rights reserved by Tom Okure, Ph.D President and CEO of Inter-Continental Mgt. Systems, Inc (or ICMS, Inc). The information included in this article may not be used, reproduced, transmitted, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written permission of ICMS, Inc. The author Dr. Tom Okure is President of ICMS, Inc, a multifaceted business and management consulting firm with its head office in Albany, New York. Dr. Okure is a writer, author, business/management consultant, public policy advisor and commentator and a change advocate.