The Federal Government says it has spent more than ₦600 billion on cash transfers to over 10 million poor and vulnerable households across Nigeria in the three years since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office.
Key Highlights
FG says over ₦600 billion has been disbursed through its cash transfer programme.
More than 10 million poor and vulnerable households have benefited from the scheme.
The government estimates that the beneficiaries could represent about 40 million Nigerians.
Over 18,000 Nigerians have received vocational skills training, starter kits and stipends.
FG says it is also supporting farmers through targeted intervention programmes.
The Humanitarian Affairs Ministry expressed concern over projected food insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview with journalists.
Doro said the conditional cash transfer programme was introduced to support poor and vulnerable families and improve their living conditions. He noted that the more than 10 million beneficiary households could represent about 40 million Nigerians, based on an average household size of four.
“We have done over N600 billion in cash transfers to be able to support vulnerable Nigerians within three years,” the minister said.
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FG Expands Skills Training
Doro said the Federal Government had also introduced a vocational skills programme that has trained more than 18,000 people, with beneficiaries receiving starter kits and stipends to help them establish businesses.
According to him, participants were also trained in business management and accounting to equip them with the skills required to establish and effectively manage their businesses.
The minister added that the government was supporting farmers through separate intervention programmes aimed at improving livelihoods, increasing agricultural productivity and reducing poverty.
Doro Defends ₦25,000 Cash Transfer
The minister defended the impact of the cash transfer programme, insisting that the ₦25,000 payment could make a significant difference to families living in extreme poverty.
“N25,000 can look very small to elites, but not to the poorest of the poor,” he said.
Doro said his ministry was working to ensure that improvements in Nigeria’s broader economy translated into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
“My job is to translate macroeconomic gains as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction. I translate the microeconomic gains to the micro level, and you can see the traction,” he said.
FG Raises Concern Over Food Insecurity
The minister also expressed concern over projections of worsening food insecurity in northern Nigeria, with more than 70 million people across nine conflict-affected states potentially facing acute food shortages.
However, Doro stressed that the figures were projections and did not necessarily mean that everyone identified would eventually experience food insecurity.
He said the Federal Government had recently carried out a presidential intervention on food and nutrition across 10 northern states and would continue to monitor the situation and provide support where necessary.
The minister said the government would continue to combine cash transfers, skills development, agricultural interventions and food assistance as part of its broader strategy to reduce poverty and support vulnerable Nigerians.
