President Tinubu has flagged-off conditional cash transfer for 15m households.
Newsonline Nigeria reports that President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday flagged off the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer for 15 million households in the country to mark the commemoration of the International Day for the eradication of poverty.
Speaking at the event inside the briefing room of the presidential villa in Abuja, he said the occasion was significant for Nigeria and for his administration as it presented him the opportunity to restate his administration’s commitment to poverty alleviation as expressed in his 8-point Agenda.
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While noting that his government’s plans for food security, ending hunger, poverty eradication, economic growth and job creation were all means to fight poverty and help the most vulnerable members of our society, the president, who the Secretary represented to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, outlined the steps government had already taken.
These, he said, include restructuring the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to include poverty alleviation and providing the policy framework for an aggressive poverty alleviation drive in Nigeria; developing the Renewed Hope Agenda for humanitarian response and poverty alleviation, and expanding the National Social Register to capture Nigerians living below one dollar per day.
Other steps, he noted, are restructuring the National Social Investment Programme and repositioning it for quick and efficient delivery that is transparent and accountable and partnering with the World Bank Group and other development partners to implement conditional cash transfers, business grants and other forms of support for the most vulnerable households.
While noting the theme of this year’s commemoration, “Decent Work and Social Protection: Putting dignity in practice for all,” Tinubu said that it was no doubt in perfect alignment with the Renewed Hope agenda.
He added: “My government will lead from the front in seeking to ensure that all Nigerians have decent opportunities for dignified work and sustained social protection.
“Today, my administration is launching the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer Program for vulnerable groups as an immediate intervention to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal and other economic shocks.
“However, the government is working to develop and deploy several more solutions and interventions to help Nigerians of all walks of life.”
The president called on stakeholders to continue to contribute their own quota in partnership with the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and poverty alleviation, saying “It is only via a sustained collaborative approach that we can win this war against poverty in Nigeria and the world at large. Hope is here.”
“ I ask the Nigerian people to please ensure that they key into all the available programs because they are here to help. Our objective is to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty. Yet, this will only be possible that with the cooperation of the people we seek to help.
