Over 199,000 residents of Adamawa State have received support from the Federal Government’s free cash transfer programme, according to Mrs. Mary Yuwadi, the Adamawa State Coordinator of the Social Investment Program. She announced this on Thursday during an interactive session with stakeholders at the Women Development Centre in Yola.
Yuwadi explained that the cash transfer initiative, aimed at reducing poverty, is being expanded following a directive from President Bola Tinubu. The programme, which initially targeted five million Nigerians, has now been scaled up to reach 15 million people across the country.
“This directive means that more than double the 199,000 Adamawa residents will benefit once the scale-up is fully implemented,” Yuwadi said.
She highlighted the impact of the programme, stating that each beneficiary receives a total of N75,000, disbursed in three tranches of N25,000. According to her, the funds have made a significant difference in the lives of beneficiaries.
“The beneficiaries appreciate the gesture and do meaningful things with it, small as the amount may seem to the more affluent Nigerians,” she noted.
Yuwadi further revealed that the state office in charge of identifying and registering potential beneficiaries is currently updating its records to include more eligible people for the next phase of the cash transfer programme.
Providing more details on the initiative, Patience John, the Training and Communication Officer of the Adamawa State Cash Transfer Unit, said the programme is designed to support the most vulnerable Nigerians and build resilience against poverty.
“The Federal Government is passionate about investing in social protection. Transparent targeting mechanism has been applied to ensure that intended beneficiaries are reached,” she explained.
The stakeholder meeting was part of efforts to implement the National Social Safety Net Programme Scale-Up. It was organized by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in collaboration with the National Social Investment Programme Agency, the National Cash Transfer Office, and the Adamawa State Cash Transfer Unit.
The session was attended by implementation desk officers from all 21 local government areas of Adamawa State, along with other stakeholders involved in the programme’s expansion and monitoring.