August 18, 2025 – The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, has said that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to strengthen social safety nets and reduce poverty across Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Sununu explained that President Tinubu’s reforms are aimed at restoring hope and protecting vulnerable Nigerians from economic shocks.
He recalled that from the beginning of his tenure, the President had already warned that some reforms would bring discomfort but emphasized that the government was equally putting measures in place to reduce the impact.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at inception promised reforms in Nigeria to renew the hope. And then during that reform, definitely, even President said there is going to be some pain. The pain must be also mitigated. And that is what exactly the President of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is talking about, instituting a social safety net that will be able to absorb shock, that will also be able to protect the vulnerable and then develop a sustainable and durable solution that will make them stand on their own and contribute significantly to Nigerian GDP,” Sununu said.
He added that the Ministry is working hand in hand with state governments, local governments, and international development partners to ensure that poverty reduction efforts protect the dignity of the average Nigerian and assure citizens of a better future.
As part of these efforts, the Ministry developed a national social register to identify vulnerable households.
According to the Minister, the register currently contains almost 18.9 million households, which translates to more than 75 million individuals across Nigeria. He explained that the social register was created through a step-by-step approach, starting with the poorest Nigerians, to ensure that the system is fair and inclusive.
The register also reflects the distribution of poverty in the country. Sununu pointed out that the northern region has the highest burden, with about 65 percent of Nigerians in the north living in poverty, compared to 35 percent in the south. Within the north, the north-west has the heaviest poverty levels with 64 percent of the population living in hardship.
“We have a register that is acceptable to all because it was systematically connected, generated and reviewed. But only thing that is short in the register, which the ministry has worked hard to ensure that a lot has been done, is the issue of national identity. So as to make sure that you institute transparency and accountability in your disbursement. And that national identity is for each person in the register to have a digital identity of his NIN, BVN, account number and even telephone number,” Sununu explained.
He further noted that this system now allows the Ministry to disburse funds more effectively while ensuring accountability. The social register also matches findings from the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index report, which was jointly published by the National Bureau of Statistics and Oxford University.
Sununu highlighted that the old approach to poverty assessment in Nigeria was mainly based on monetary poverty, which showed that about 40 percent of Nigerians were poor. However, the new multidimensional method considered several components.
1. Education
2. Health
3. Standard of living
4. Works
5. Shock (such as attack and many other things, employment, how close are you to school, this and that).
With these factors, the percentage of Nigerians considered poor increased to 65 percent. According to the Minister, the social register confirms this finding, showing that the burden of poverty is heavier in regions identified by the multidimensional poverty index.
He stressed that the President has insisted that the fight against poverty should be guided by facts and figures, ensuring no bias in distribution.
“Yes, 64.8% of people residing in the northern part of the country are poor. That’s what the multidimensional poverty index has stated. And even in our own distribution, it confirms this,” Sununu said.
The Minister also revealed the government’s immediate plans for more disbursements to Nigerians.
“So far, in the next few days to come, before the end of August, we are going to reach out to 2,119,000 households. The process is all set,” he said.
He added that the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) will oversee the program, ensuring that the most vulnerable Nigerians in the national social register benefit from the Rapid Conditional Cash Transfer scheme.
Providing details, Sununu said, “For those Nigerians, it is a Rapid Conditional Cash Transfer (RCCT). Of which I mentioned in one of my interviews, so far we have disbursed 419 billion to 5,000,968 Nigerians.
And the distribution, just like the National Social Register, we have distributed 71% in the northern part of the country because they have the highest burden, and then 29% in the southern part. And I’m now telling you that another 54 billion, 911,850,000 will be disbursed at the end of August to almost 2,119,000 Nigerians’ households.”
Sununu said this next phase of payments would be done more transparently to strengthen public trust. He stressed that the Ministry will no longer make transfers quietly but would openly publish details and invite the media to monitor.
“And this one, we are going to make it in such a way that we are shifting from just making transfer anonymous. It will be done publicly, we’ll address people, we’ll address the press, we’ll also call on the press to witness, and we’ll give data. We’ll even go into the extent of giving each state the numbers of the beneficiaries from that state and amount they are disbursing,” he said.
He acknowledged that lack of openness had been a problem in the past, but assured that the new approach would bring transparency and accountability.
“You see, I think where we had problems prior to now was the fact that things are not being made public. And now as part of transparency and accountability, we will tell each state, this is the amount we are giving, we are disbursing to that state, and these are the beneficiaries. You can confirm, and anybody who wants to confirm can even confirm with World Bank,” the Minister explained.
Beneficiaries of the current scheme are to receive 75,000 naira each, spread across three tranches of 25,000 naira. The Minister said the payments would be made within a short period so that people can access the support quickly.
“To each, the whole, you know there are three tranches of 25,000 each, and that’s making it 75,000 beneficiaries. They’re going to get it in three times? Yes, three tranches. And then the interval, there’s no going to be a long interval within short periods so that we can easily add this. People will say 75,000 is nothing. But 75,000 is a big money to a lot of people in Nigeria,” Sununu explained.
He emphasized that the objective of the Rapid Conditional Cash Transfer is not only to provide immediate relief but also to empower households to meet basic needs such as food, health, and education. He said such programs have long-term economic benefits because they support families to be productive and reduce the risk of falling deeper into poverty.
Beneficiaries are required to have a National Identification Number, a Bank Verification Number, an account number, and a working phone number to ensure transparency in the process.
The government believes that this approach will not only reduce leakages but also improve Nigeria’s ability to track and monitor poverty alleviation programs. It also strengthens confidence among international development partners, such as the World Bank, which supports several social protection programs in the country.
Sununu said the administration is committed to building a strong accountability framework for poverty reduction initiatives. He explained that the Ministry will continue to publish data on beneficiaries, amounts disbursed, and states covered, while allowing independent verification.
