THE Federal Government, yesterday, explained how it would fund the
N5,000 monthly welfare payment to vulnerable Nigerians just as it
reaffirmed that the Boko Haram insurgency had been technically
suppressed
Mohammed, who was accompanied by his Special Assistant, Mr. Segun
Adeyemi, was received byVanguard's Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye
and Acting Editor, Mr. Eze Anaba, said beneficiaries of the N5,000
monthly payment would be required to meet conditions, including
enrolment into the country's development agenda.
The minister also disclosed that the insurgents had been restricted
into two local government areas of the 30 local government areas they
controlled at the onset of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Funding of N5,000 welfare scheme
On how the funding of the N5,000 welfare scheme would be achieved,
Mohammed said: "What we want to achieve by our social intervention of
which the conditional transfer is just one part, is to move out
millions of Nigerians from poverty. That is why we have this half a
trillion naira social intervention.
"Part of what we intend to do with the half a trillion naira is to
train market women, artisans and unemployed graduates in the art of
management and also give them loans to start their own businesses.
Part of our social intervention also includes the transfer of N5,000
to the most vulnerable people.
"And we are being partnered in this by the World Bank and other
multilateral organisations. It has been done in many countries before
and we believe that it can be done here. Many people have written
ridiculously about N5,000 and claimed that it is not up to what they
spend on recharge cards. And we said yes, those who are writing such
things are not the average Nigerians we are seeking to help.
"If you look at the lady who is selling water melon or pawpaw, she
does not have up to N5,000 capital. People don't know that N5,000 can
be meaningful for many Nigerians because they are too comfortable in
their corners. They do not know that N5,000 can make the difference
between life and death for many Nigerians.
"Many people have died because they cannot afford transportation to
the health centres. We are grappling with the reality on ground and we
know that this conditional cash transfer is working in some states and
it is being piloted by DIFID. In Jigawa, Yobe, and Kano, a British
group is tying the conditional N5,000 transfer on a pilot scheme.
"When we say conditional transfer, it means that you must show
evidence that you have enrolled your children in school and immunised
them. It is not just that we are giving you money free, you must also
show evidence that you have complied with some obligations. We know it
works because it has increased school enrolment, led to a drop in
mortality rate and decline in stunted growth.
"Apart from blockages and savings, there are many government
institutions today, who ought to be returning money to the treasury
but they are not doing so. We know that some organisations made over
N20 billion last year but returned less than N100 million to the
treasury.
"This is why the idea of the Treasury Single Account is so important
to us. We are going back to the basics. We believe that the money for
this project will come from savings, budget and prudent management.
Also we are going to have support from multilateral organisations,
especially in the area of cash transfer. Again some of these projects
are not just recurrent, they are also capital in a way."
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