The Federal Government invested $2.2 million in the expansion and verification of the National Social Register, a database used for cash transfer programs and other social initiatives, a report from World Bank.
Equivalently, the government’s expenditure of $2.2 million translates to N3.2 billion in naira, based on the January 2024 exchange rate of N1,455 to the US dollar.
Additionally, a total of $169,565 was allocated for the expansion of the Rapid Response Register, a program established for the distribution of palliatives.
The Conditional Cash Transfer scheme is part of the National Social Investment Programme of the Federal Government, a project created to change the lives of millions of Nigerians living in extreme poverty, upgrade their living standards and improve the economy.
The new information was disclosed in the procurement strategy document of the National Social Safety Net Project Scale-up project obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday.
Last year, the government began a review of the social register to ensure inclusivity for all Nigerians.
The existing social register, compiled under the past administration, was heavily criticised by hovering officials for lacking in credibility.
The national economic council, chaired by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, resolving to update the register directed the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Beta Edu to conduct a review.
The review included taking out dead beneficiaries from the register and disqualifying those without National Identification Numbers and Bank Verification Numbers.
The NEC also agreed that states should come up with their registers using formal and informal means.
The line item titled, “Expansion of the Rapid Responds Register – Households Validation with reference number: NASSCO-381483-CS-QCBS/ was noted to be under implementation.
The report also stated that $195,652.00 was apportioned for the Engagement of NASSP National Third-Party Monitoring and $96,833 for the engagement of the engagement of National Coordinator and deputy national coordinator for the Social Safety Coordinating Office in Nigeria.
The funding was obtained through a $800m palliative loan disbursed by the World Bank to cushion the effect of recent government policies, such as the fuel subsidy removal.
The NASSP-SU project, initiated to provide shock-responsive safety net support to Nigeria’s poor and vulnerable, was approved on December 16, 2021, and became effective on January 30, 2023, benefitting three million poor and vulnerable households.
The Federal Government intends to utilize this loan to implement a monthly cash transfer program aimed at supporting impoverished and vulnerable Nigerians, who have been disproportionately affected by recent policy changes, including the removal of fuel subsidies.
However, the program was suddenly halted due to an investigation into alleged misconduct and mismanagement of the scheme by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Punch
