By Seyi Babalola
The National Safety Net Programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria will provide cash palliatives to around 50 million poor Nigerians as part of efforts to combat poverty in the country.
This was made known by the President of Hope for the Needy and Skills Empowerment Foundation, Mr. Kerry Kenu Sholaye, during a press conference in Lagos yesterday.
The foundation, which is a member of the team helping the federal government collect information for the national social register, claimed that the government is taking the cries of the people into account, which is why it launched this project to help the underprivileged Nigerians at the local level.
According to Mr. Sholaye, the World Bank and the national social safety net coordinating office collaborated to create the interventional program.
The National Social Safety Net was established in 2015 to collect information on the most impoverished Nigerians.
He explained that the federal government, through the presidency of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has made provision through the minister of humanitarian affairs for the national social register to kick off the program.
“The program is set to reach the poorest people in the country through the national social register and state social register, also this register will help the masses and poor people to get help from international bodies”.
To be eligible for this programme, he urged all rural and underprivileged Nigerians to ensure that their names and contact information are all included on the national social registry.
Additionally, he claimed that the initiative will give over 50,000 youths employment opportunities, with participation ranging from local to national levels.
He added that each community leader all over the country will help in assisting the bodies involved in listing the names of the poorest people in their area.
“The cash transfer palliative will be sent to each person from the centre system without having to pass through any third party.
“Once your name is listed on the national social register, you will definitely receive yours, he added.
The Southeast zonal Coordinator, Ambassador Robison Ezike said the project will cover all the villages and communities in the southeast of the country.
According to him, “If palliative care is served to people with food and stuff, it will never get to the grassroots, but the project of the cash transfer will get to everyone who is duly registered.
He added that the palliative project is mainly for the poor and not for the average Nigerian.
“This is why the government is sending people to the villages and forgetting areas to get the poor people together to benefit from the project.
“We have made provisions for those who don’t have bank accounts to get one.
“We are not giving this money to anyone to give to their people but each person will receive their own.”
He mentioned that certain banks are already collaborating with the team to establish accounts for people who don’t have one, ensuring that they receive notifications when the program begins.
Also, the regional coordinator for the North East, Solomon Bulus Keumsi, said the foundation will make sure the poor people in the north of the country will all benefit from this project.
He declared that this foundation was prepared to enlist every home in the north.
“We want people to know that this is not a political arm of any government, but we want to go down to the grassroots of the people, so we must ensure everyone benefits from this palliative.”