The Federal Government has disclosed that more than N600 billion has been disbursed through its cash transfer programme to slightly over nine million households as part of efforts to cushion the economic hardship triggered by the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, made the disclosure while speaking on Channels Television, saying the payments were made in three tranches to vulnerable Nigerians affected by the economic shocks associated with the government’s economic reforms.
According to Doro, the intervention has reached “slightly over nine million households,” adding that the government believes the payments have made a significant impact on beneficiaries.
“Over N600 billion in cash transfers has been done in three tranches, and that has made significant impact. We have reached slightly over nine million households, about 10 million households,” the minister said.
However, despite the huge amount reportedly disbursed, Doro admitted that the government does not yet have concrete data showing how many Nigerians have actually been lifted out of poverty as a direct result of the cash transfer programme.
The minister explained that the government was still relying on the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index, which assesses poverty beyond income and considers factors such as access to healthcare, education and other basic necessities.
He said the government was commissioning a fresh assessment to establish the current poverty situation across the country and determine the extent to which its various interventions have improved the living conditions of Nigerians.
“I won’t give you a figure if we have not already reviewed what is going on. We will do this review and once we do that review, we will be able to share the numbers,” Doro said.
The disclosure comes amid continued public debate over the effectiveness, transparency and reach of the Federal Government’s social intervention programmes, particularly following the removal of the petrol subsidy and the subsequent rise in the cost of living.
While the government has consistently defended the cash transfer scheme as a major component of its response to economic hardship, questions have continued to arise over beneficiary identification, the distribution of funds and the measurable impact of the intervention on poverty.
Doro said the government was now seeking to overhaul the country’s social protection architecture through what he described as the “One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System.”
According to him, the proposed system will bring poverty reduction and humanitarian interventions operated by the federal, state and local governments under a more coordinated framework while strengthening collaboration with development partners.
He said the system would make use of the Unified National Social Registry to identify poor and vulnerable Nigerians, connect them to appropriate government programmes and track their progress until they are able to become self-sufficient.
“We want to avoid duplication and inefficiencies. We want to make sure that every naira that we invest is actually going directly to the last mile,” the minister said.
Beyond direct cash assistance, Doro disclosed that more than 18,000 Nigerians had benefited from other government interventions involving vocational training, starter kits, stipends and business management training.
He said the objective of those programmes was to move beneficiaries beyond temporary relief and equip them with skills and resources capable of helping them establish sustainable businesses and become economically independent.
The minister also defended the administration’s broader economic policies, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and reforms in the foreign exchange market.
According to Doro, the reforms, although painful, have contributed to stabilising the Nigerian economy and reducing inflation.
He claimed that inflation, which rose to slightly above 34 per cent at its peak, had fallen to about 15 per cent based on recent figures.
“We are actually driving down inflation, and that translates to increase in purchasing power,” he said.
The minister acknowledged, however, that reducing poverty across Nigeria would not happen overnight, stressing that the government would continue to provide cash transfers and other forms of intervention whenever necessary to support poor and vulnerable citizens.
Doro further said the ministry was prepared to subject the cash transfer programme to a comprehensive and transparent impact assessment.
Such an assessment, he said, would help determine whether the intervention has achieved its intended objectives and provide credible evidence of how government funds have affected the lives of beneficiaries.
The cash transfer programme was introduced as one of the Federal Government’s major responses to the economic difficulties that followed the removal of the petrol subsidy. The policy was intended to provide immediate financial relief to vulnerable households while the government pursued longer-term economic reforms.
With more than N600 billion now reported to have been disbursed, the government is moving to establish the actual impact of the intervention through a fresh poverty assessment, while simultaneously developing a broader social protection system aimed at ensuring that government assistance reaches Nigerians most in need.