Lagos State, one of the 34 States in Nigeria selected for the cash transfer programme of the Federal Government, has resumed disbursement of funds with the flag-off of the 5th and 6th bi-monthly payment exercise to beneficiary households.

The successful participation of Lagos State in the previous tranches was due to the effort and support of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, who had put his weight behind the State Operations Coordinating Units (SOCU) in establishing the Register of Poor and Vulnerable Households in the State, provided office space and the required staff for State Cash Transfer Unit to carry out its activities.

The State’s Focal Person on National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) and Commissioner for Ministry of Wealth Creation & Employment, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, who flagged off the payments in Apapa Local Government recently, said the Conditional Cash Transfer supports the poor and vulnerable to improve consumption, reduce poverty and prevent the households from falling further down the poverty line by building their resilience to withstand shocks.

The Commissioner added that the National Cash Transfer Programme (NCTP) is one of the components of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) domiciled under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development saddled with the task of responding to deficiencies in capacity and lack of investment in human capital of poor and vulnerable households.

Arobieke explained that the NCTP programme, which is also supported by the World Bank, focuses on the poor and vulnerable households in Nigeria as identified through a combination of geographic and community-based targeting mechanisms.

She stated further that the identified household’s socio-economic data is subjected to Proxy Means Testing (PMT) for ranking the poor and vulnerable in the National Social Register (NSR).

According to the Commissioner, “The programme is to facilitate the transfer of #5,000 per month to beneficiaries, paid bi-monthly to all eligible households selected from the National Social Register (NSR)”.

“The livelihood component of this programme is fundamentally aimed at enabling beneficiaries to establish a sustainable means of livelihood with a total number of 6,810 beneficiaries from six targeted LGAs – Apapa, Amuwo-Odofin, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos Island and Badagry – benefitting from the Conditional Cash Transfer programme in Lagos State since its implementation”, she disclosed.

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