Reps summon tinubu’s minister over N1.1trn Conditional Cash Transfer

The House of Representatives summoned Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, on Tuesday to address the implementation of the N1.1 trillion Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) for vulnerable Nigerians.

This move follows a resolution passed after Hon. Moshood Adebayo’s motion, emphasizing the scrutiny of the CCT policy amid concerns about the Minister’s failure to publicize the policy statement on various implemented programs.

During the debate, Hon. Adebayo stressed the House’s oversight role in examining the CCT scheme, considering it an immediate Federal Government intervention to alleviate the impact of petrol subsidy removal and economic shocks on vulnerable groups in Nigeria.

The resolution highlighted the agreement between the Federal Government and Organized Labour, indicating that 15 million households would each receive N25,000 over three months.

Concerns were raised about unsatisfactory feedback on how palliatives for vulnerable Nigerians were managed by different government bodies, citing previous mismanagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the World Bank’s acknowledgment of the effectiveness of cash transfers in reducing poverty, coupled with the removal of fuel subsidy, various programs were introduced to uplift families and small businesses economically.

The House emphasized the need for thorough transparency and accountability, noting growing suspicions about the CCT program’s implementation and past cases of corruption and misappropriation in similar cash transfer initiatives.

Consequently, the House mandated the joint Committees on Constituency Outreach and Poverty Alleviation to summon the Minister to provide detailed policy documents regarding the allocation and distribution of funds for the conditional cash transfer, aiming to ensure transparency and accountability aligned with principles of good governance.