Cash Transfer Initiative Benefits Vulnerable Nigerians

The State programme manager of the Conditional Cash Transfer Unit in Gombe, Abubakar Jatau, has said the initiative continued to make a positive impact on vulnerable Nigerians.

Jatau made this statement during the NCTO -CCT organised Stepdown Orientation training to State Cash transfer staff, local government Desk officers, cash transfer facilitators and local government grievance redress officers.

The event was held at Amina Town Hall Conference Centre in Gombe, the Gombe State Capital.

He emphasised that the CCT has been the government’s most successful initiative in providing support to the poorest individuals in urban and rural settings across the country.

Jatau also noted that thousands of vulnerable people have greatly benefited from the project and continue to do so.

The recent NASSP-SU Orientation step-down training to trainers, desk officers, cash transfer facilitators, local government grievance officers and state cash transfer staff.

Jatau highlighted that previously, cash transfers only covered 73 per cent of rural poor and vulnerable populations, with only 13 per cent of Urban being included.

However, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the federal government made efforts to support the Urban poor and vulnerable in the country.

Also speaking, Bilkisu Dausa Musa, the Training and Communication Officer of the Gombe State Cash Transfer Unit, emphasised the significance of the federal government’s CCT project in supporting impoverished and vulnerable populations.

She stressed the extensive training conducted for stakeholders involved in the CCT initiative and reiterated the program’s positive impact on beneficiaries.

Musa highlighted the collaboration between the National Social Safety Net Program scale-Up (NASSP-SU,) with Gombe State underscoring their efforts to boost the morale of beneficiaries nationwide.

She also emphasised the role of NASSP-SU in scaling up the program and targeting beneficiaries in all eleven local government areas of Gombe State, both in rural and urban areas, using data from NASCO and SOCU.