The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has announced that six million Nigerians have received cash payments through the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme in the last six months.
Speaking on Thursday in Jos during an address to participants of the Skills-to-Wealth (S2W) training programme, the minister noted that this was a significant improvement compared to previous years. He explained that only two million people were reached over a nine-year span before the current government adopted a new strategy.
“Previously, only two million people benefited from the conditional cash transfer scheme, which means that over nine years, just 200,000 people were supported annually,” Yilwatda stated.
He said the new approach involves digitising households listed in the National Social Register. These households are being issued digital IDs and e-wallet accounts. The government also introduced a system of physical verification to confirm their eligibility. As part of the cleanup process, many unverifiable entries were removed from the register.
The minister explained that this new digital system allows the government to disburse funds more effectively and track them. As a result, one million Nigerians have been receiving support each month since the new method began.
He further revealed that by October, the ministry expects to reach a total of 15 million Nigerians. “The President is committed to supporting 15 million households before October. He has directed that these funds be disbursed to beneficiaries within nine months,” Yilwatda added.
To ensure that the disbursement is credible, the ministry brought in the World Bank to carry out an independent review. The minister said, “After disbursing funds to the first four million people, I requested the World Bank to deploy an independent team to verify the recipients.”
He said the verification results showed that 96 percent of those paid were found at their registered addresses, while the remaining 4 percent were difficult to trace due to relocation or living in remote areas.
In addition to cash transfers, the minister spoke about the Skills-to-Wealth programme. He said the initiative aims to train young Nigerians in agriculture, renewable energy, and the automobile industry. The goal is to help them gain practical skills that can turn into income-generating ventures.
Professor Yilwatda said the Federal Government is committed to fighting poverty using both financial support and skill empowerment.
