The National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), has so far registered more than 68 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians into the National Social Register (NSR).
NASSCO disclosed this on Tuesday in its verified social media handle on Instagram, adding that the figure represented 19 million vulnerable households in the 36 states and the FCT.
The NSR is mandated to create a comprehensive database of poor and vulnerable households in the country; and assist government design, coordinate and integrate social safety-net programmes into social protection systems including the distribution of Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) to vulnerable Nigerians.
The National Coordinator of NASSCO, Ms. Funmi Olotu, said the National Social Register would ensure that social protection initiatives are targeted, impactful and evidence-based.
“Our goal is not just to help, but to create a lasting platform that empowers families and communities to overcome the daily challenges they face.
“We are committed to transparency’’ she said.
However, some Nigerians have expressed mixed reaction over the process of disbursement of the CCT to beneficiaries.
An enrollee of the defunct N-Power Programme in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT, Dantala Ahmed, said the current distribution of N25,000 was not transparently done like the previous ones.
“In 2019, we were given physical cash because the coordinators came down to Gwagwalada and we were asked to queue. Once your name appears in the register, you will be called to collect the money.
“But, now we are living in the dark, we don’t know what is going on; sometimes we just see adverts on social media that the Federal Government will resume payment of N25,000 CCT,” he said.
On his part, a beneficiary of the N25, 000 CCT from Kpako Ward in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, Mohammed Awwal, said the process was transparent and digitalised in the sense that coordinators came to electoral ward to register people with National Identity Numbers (NIN).
“As a beneficiary of the N25,000 CCT, I can attest to the fact that the process is transparent, because the coordinators came to our ward, registered us with our NIN and gave us ATM Cards.
“As I am talking to you now, I received N25,000 in January this year and they said the total money is N75,000 and they will pay it in three tranches.
“So, I think what the government wants to do is to digitalise the system and avoid the process of giving people physical cash to ensure accountability,’’ he said
