The Federal Government (FG), through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs , Disaster Management and Social Development, has embarked on the disbursement of monthly stipends, using debit cards, to 15,562 poor and vulnerable persons in Osun.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that at Boripe Local Government Secretariat, on Tuesday, 187 vulnerable persons were issued Debit Cards for the payment of their monthly stipends.
Mrs Iyabo Ayofe, Osun Coordinator of Household Uplifting Programme-Conditional Cash Transfer (HUP-CCT), explained that the FG has now digitalised the payment system.
The Conditional Cash Transfer is part of the Nigerian government’s National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs).
Ayofe told the beneficiaries that their stipends (money) would be paid/loaded on the debit cards henceforth, stating that they can always withdraw their money on any Point of Sales (POS) machine or Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) at any time.
She said that the debit card has now erased the “cash by hand” mode of payment, and that anytime the beneficiaries are notified of payment, they can go to the ATM or use the POS closer to them to collect their money.
“The cards being issued to beneficiaries today are preloaded with N30,000 for the payment of the backlog of 2020 stipends.
“About 4,000 of the beneficiaries, however, would have more than N30,000 loaded on their cards because these category of beneficiaries have additional health expenses and dependants like pregnant women, breast feeding mothers and those with children from zero to five years.
“This digitalisation mode of payment makes payment easy, eliminates attack on beneficiaries by criminals and makes it easier for beneficiaries to withdraw their money wherever they are, at any point in time,” she said.
She, however, said the distribution of the debit cards to beneficiaries would only cover eight local government areas (as the pilot phase), but would be extended to the remaining 22 local government areas and area offices subsequently.
Ayofe said the Household Uplifting Programme/Conditional Cash Transfer is part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to pull 100 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty.
Mrs Isiah Olaitan and Mrs Muyilatu Oyewole, two of the beneficiaries from Boripe Local Government, praised the FG for the intervention, saying the money had really helped them to sustain themselves and also help their business growth.
They both, coincidentally, said they rear goats and chickens and that the stipends had been of immense help in boosting their little businesses.
