Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has commenced the distribution of cash relief to poor and vulnerable rural women affected by the Boko Haram insurgency and the COVID-19 pandemic in Yobe State.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Mrs Sadiya Farouk, during the commencement of the programme in Damaturu, the state capital.
The Minister explained that the grant is aimed at increasing access to financial capital for an improved economy which was worsened during the pandemic.
According to her, the Yobe State Government had earlier received over N980 million under the federal government conditional cash transfer programme from inception and six other local government councils are currently benefiting from the programme.
She explained that the sum of N20,000 will be disbursed to about 10,000 beneficiaries to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cash relief programme was introduced in 2020 by President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration with the aim of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
According to the ministry, the programme was designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural Nigeria.
A grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to over 150,000 poor rural women across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The objectives of the conditional cash transfer programme include improving environmental sanitation and management; encourage household financial and asset acquisition; engage beneficiaries to attain sustainable livelihood; improve household consumption; increase in the utilisation of health and nutrition services and improve school enrolment and attendance.
