The hope of the poorest and most vulnerable to
experience a change in their standard of living since the
inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari in May
2015 may have been dashed, following an alleged hijack
of the Federal Government’s monthly stipend meant for
them.
The Presidency had two weeks ago announced the
payment of the stipends to the poor through the
Conditional Cash Transfer of its Social Investment
Programmes.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, who disclosed
this, explained that under the CCT, one million
Nigerians would receive the stipend as a form of social
safety net.
Akande said the exercise had commenced with the first
batch of beneficiaries from three out of nine states the
pilot scheme would cover already collecting the money.
Under the arrangement, he explained that Borno, Kwara
and Bauchi states had started paying the money, while
beneficiaries in Cross River, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and
Ekiti states would smile soon.
However, investigations by Sunday Punch
correspondents in Borno, Kwara and Bauchi showed
that top politicians were the ones choosing people to
benefit from the scheme.
Potential beneficiaries also alleged during separate
interviews with our correspondents that they were not
carried along, despite the fact that they fall within the
catchment area.
Also, contrary to widespread belief that the N5,000 will
be shared per person, the administrators of the scheme
in Kwara were observed giving N5,000 to an entire
household.
KWARA
In Kwara, government had said 10,700 ‘households’
were currently benefitting from the first phase of the
programme in the state.
But two factional Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic
Party in the state, Mr. Iyiola Oyedepo and Mr. Sunday
Fagbemi, said they were not aware that anybody or any
of their party members had got the stipends.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State
Governor on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen
Akorede, however, insisted that 12 local government
areas were participating in the first phase, while the
remaining four LGAs would be considered for the
second phase.
Akorede said the Kwara State Government was fully
involved in selecting the beneficiaries.
He said the selection process was based on data
collected for the World Bank-supported Youth
Employment and Social Support Operation, where each
community identified those considered as poor.
But Oyedepo said he was not aware that the payment
had commenced in the state, adding that PDP was not
carried along in the selection of the beneficiaries.
Expressing a similar opinion, Fagbemi said, “I have not
heard of a single fellow from PDP that benefitted from
such. The scheme should be for everybody.”
According to the state government, beneficiaries in the
12 councils of Asa, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South,
Oke-Ero, Isin, Ifelodun, Offa, Edu, Patigi, Kaiama and
Moro, have started benefitting from the scheme.
But some indigenes of Offa said they were not aware of
the stipends being paid.
Among those who spoke on the issue with one of our
correspondents were a 40-year-old commercial
motorcycle rider, Omoboriola Abiodun; a 52-year-old
petty trader, Mrs. Yusuf Adijatu; a 62-year-old grinding
machine operator, Mrs. Lydia Oladele; a 50-year-old
bread seller, Mrs. Racheal Olayemi; a 55-year-old bread
seller, Mrs. Taibat Omojasola; and a 54-year-old
motorcycle rider, Mr. Musliu Rahman.
Rahman said, “I have not heard of the scheme or the
payment. I am not aware of any list of poor people in
Offa. I don’t think poor people in Offa have received it
and I have not been contacted by anybody over the
payment of any stipend.”
A recharge card seller at the Muritala Muhammed Way,
Ilorin, also stated that he had not benefitted from the
scheme.
Likewise, a foodstuff seller at Oja-Oba (market), Mrs.
Sadikat Monruf, and a street trader, Saka, said they had
not been contacted by any government official
concerning the scheme and that none of them had
received any stipend.
BORNO
The situation got worse in Borno State as top
politicians, including a prominent member of the Senate
and a highly placed presidency official from the state,
disagreed openly over the beneficiary list.
Few persons were said to have collected the stipend
shortly before payment was suspended following a
‘fight’ between the two politicians.
Sunday Punch gathered that a manual social register
was generated for the scheme which gave room for
manipulation.
A top government official, on condition of anonymity,
said, “It was the pressure mounted on the state
government by the two political gladiators that made us
settle for manual registration.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the state government
failed as calls made to both the mobiles of the
Secretary to the State Government, Usman Shuwa, and
the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Mohammed
Bulama, were not responded to as of the time of filing
the report.
A social activist, Mr. Grema Terab, complained that the
administration of the scheme was faulty from the initial
stage in Borno.
He said, “The whole exercise was faulty from the
inception in Borno; there was no way for many to be
registered as there was no formal registration office or
centre.
“The state was only able to initially register 6,000 out of
its quota of 13,000 due to complacency on the part of
those given the task of handling the registration.
“People have no easy access to the form as it was
politicised by the coordinators in the state.
“There was no clear information on what they (the
applicants) should do or how to go about it was given.”
Many Maiduguri residents also expressed
dissatisfaction with the manner in which the scheme
was being carried out in the state.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said,
“My name is on the register but I’ve not received
payment. When some of us that had not been paid
made enquiries last week, we were told we had a
problem with our registration.”
Another resident, who also craved anonymity, asked the
Federal Government to stop politicians from interfering
with the beneficiaries’ list.
He said, “I am aware that two big politicians determined
the list and with this, the real poor people won’t benefit.
The government officials will keep the money and give
out peanuts to those who go to their house.”
BAUCHI
Sunday Punch gathered that the payment of the N5,000
monthly stipend had yet to commence in Bauchi State,
contrary to the presidency’s claims.
The Special Assistant to the Bauchi State Governor on
Development Partners and Non-Governmental
Organisations, Manu Soro, however, said his office had
received confirmation from the Federal Government
that the money had been disbursed to the state
accounts.
He stated that 10,800 beneficiaries drawn from 12 out
of the 20 local government areas had been captured in
the scheme.
“We have received confirmation from the office of the
Social Safety Net that payment has been effected by the
Federal Government to the Interbank settlement system
for onward transmission to the government-approved
bank, which is Guaranty Trust Bank.
“Biometrics are being concluded and as soon as the
internal processes in GTBank are concluded,
beneficiaries will receive their money. Any moment
from now, these funds will be available for them to
access.”
Asked how the list was drawn, Manu said the state
used a National Poverty Map as a guide to draw up the
list.
He said officials carefully selected by the government
went round the communities to get the list of the
vulnerable and poor people.
He said, “The state Planning Commission, through the
State Coordinating Unit, was saddled with the
responsibility of generating what is called ‘single social
register,’ which was generated in collaboration with the
World Bank officials in the state.”
The Special Adviser denied allegations that only APC
members were being considered for the scheme,
stating that all those who qualified, irrespective of party
affiliations, would benefit.
“We have no political interference in this scheme,” he
said.
However, a stalwart of the opposition Peoples
Democratic Party in Bauchi State, Yusuf Alkaleri, who
spoke to our correspondent on the phone, said PDP
members were not considered for the scheme.
He said the members were shocked to hear that the list
had already been drawn.
He said, “To be very honest with you, no PDP member
who is poor and vulnerable has been captured to
benefit from this scheme.
“All we know is that a list was drawn and taken to
President Buhari and he approved it. We didn’t know
when they drew the list because it was done secretly.
We don’t even know how it was drawn. They’ve made it
an APC affair.”
A cross-section of poor and homeless people in the
state capital told Sunday Punch that only people with
links to politicians were beneficiaries of the stipend.
One of them, Abdu Hassan, said, “It is for only people
who are connected to influential politicians. I have no
salary, no pension, nothing. When I heard of the policy, I
was happy because I felt I would enjoy it, but
unfortunately, it was not so.”
Another respondent, Datua Manga, said, “I looked for
the form to fill so I can be enrolled but didn’t get. I
went to the National Identity Management Commission
office three different times hoping that I will get the
form but my efforts were fruitless.”
EKITI
As of Friday morning, over 700 out of the 3,600
beneficiaries on the list had received the N5,000
monthly stipend in Ekiti State, according to the Special
Assistant to Governor Ayodele Fayose on New Media
and Public Communications, Mr. Lere Olayinka.
But the state Commissioner for Information, Youths and
Sports, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, faulted the list being used
by the Federal Government to pay the money, and
insisted that it was different from that compiled two
years ago by the World Bank.
Besides, he said, anyone operating a bank account
should not be categorised as a poor person which the
scheme was meant for.
According to him, the programme is bereft of definition
and is deceitful as to who is qualified.
“It is highly politicised by the federal agencies handling
it. The first set of states that qualified did so because
they have a social register. But in the case of Ekiti, they
jettisoned the social register.
“They are compiling their own list in the air. The modus
operandi is also faulty because you can’t have a bank
account if you are indeed poverty stricken. It is spurious
that through out 2016 the Federal Government did not
commit money to the scheme even after withdrawing
from the account.
The people receiving the money are not the same
people compiled by the World Bank; probably their
names were compiled in a political meeting. It is
possible that somebody benefiting from the state social
scheme will still benefit from the Federal Government’s
N5,000.
“We have 10,000 people benefitting under the state
scheme with data capture and finger printing. We see
their faces and pay them by hand.
Whoever has a bank
account cannot qualify to be a poor person because
keeping a bank account pre-supposes you are saving
some money for future needs.”
We’re using Jonathan’s register for disbursement –
Presidency
The Presidency insisted that the disbursement of the
fund was not designed to benefit only members of the
ruling All Progressives Congress.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said this in an
interview with one of our correspondents.
Akande said the social registers being used to
determine beneficiaries in the states were prepared
about three years ago, “long before the inception of the
present administration.”
He said, “The CCT was not designed with partisan
consideration. The social registers being used were
prepared by the World Bank about three years ago.
“We understand that some Nigerians will doubt the
government’s intention because of their past
experiences.”
Akande also disclosed that money had been released
for all the nine states that were pencilled down for the
pilot scheme of the programme.
The states are Borno, Kwara, Bauchi, Cross River, Niger,
Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti.
He said the current challenge in some states was how
beneficiaries without Bank Verification Numbers would
be able to access the fund.
He however said arrangements were being made with
banks to ensure that the money got to the beneficiaries
irrespective of where they reside.
