No fewer than 81,000 residents of Ondo State are set to benefit from the Federal Government’s Cash Transfer programme.
Mrs. Tosin Olupona, Manager of Ondo Cash Transfer in the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Relations, announced this on Wednesday in Akure during a training programme for local government cash facilitators.
The training was organized in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the National Social Investment Programmes Agency.
According to Olupona, each beneficiary will receive N25,000 per month for three months.
She stated that the programme targets poor households, noting that previously the state had only 12,000 beneficiaries.
“Now it has been increased to 81,000 in line with the renewed hope agenda of the present government,” Olupona said. “The benefit is intended to cushion the effect of the removal of the fuel subsidy. It is an economic shock response because the fact remains that nobody is finding it easy now, particularly the poor and vulnerable households.”
She added that the FG has begun distributing the N25,000 payments, which will continue for three months. After this period, the current beneficiaries will exit the programme, and a new set of people will be selected.
Olupona revealed that the beneficiaries were chosen from the National Social Register, with their BVN and NIN linked for accountability, ensuring the money is paid directly into their accounts.
Similarly, the Administrative Secretary of the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Relations, Mrs. Yemi Pirisola, emphasized the importance of public awareness about the agency’s activities.
Pirisola urged desk officers and beneficiaries to inform the public about the government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal and improve the lives of vulnerable people.
