By Paul Effiong
House of Representatives has expressed worry over the delay in the implementation of the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT, scheme.
The scheme is a flagship social safety net designed by the federal government to alleviate economic hardship among the country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
Its reaction followed a motion moved during plenary yesterday by Abass Adigun.
Defending the motion, Adigun pointed at the irregularities in the implementation of the programme.
According to the lawmaker, the CCT initiative was launched in partnership with the federal government and the World Bank in 2016 with the singular aim of providing financial support to underprivileged households across the country.
He noted that the National Cash Transfer Office, NCTO, is responsible for the scheme, as well as overseeing its implementation.
The lawmaker recalled that in April 2020, the federal government had terminated the contract of two payment service providers for failing to meet the contractual agreement to commence conditional cash transfer payments to beneficiaries in four states.
According to Adigun, the programme, conceived as part of the federal government’s efforts to foster growth and reduce poverty, allocates N50,000 to each selected nominee for a period of three months, to be paid directly into their bank accounts.
“The payment is intended to help mitigate the effects of the ongoing economic challenges faced by the most vulnerable groups in the society,” he said.
However, the lawmaker raised serious concerns regarding delay in the payment process, noting that while some beneficiaries received their payments months after completing and submitting their information via an online portal, others have yet to receive any payment at all. The National Cash Transfer Office has not provided a response or explanation to these beneficiaries.
While adopting the motion, lawmakers at plenary resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the cause of the delay.
