How FG plans to take 50m Nigerians out of poverty according to Betta Edu

Edu spelt out the process on Thursday, November 3, 2023, while fielding questions from State House reporters at the ongoing cabinet retreat at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.

According to her, the payment of ₦25,000 to poor households via conditional cash transfer for three months is part of the plan to address poverty in the country.

Through the programme, Edu said 61 million households would be out of poverty, even though the cash transfer scheme was meant to address the economic shock the households suffered due to the withdrawal of fuel subsidy. 

The minister explained that the process was being carried out rigorously, adding that the FG was making efforts to identify and verify the beneficiaries through their NINs and BVNs to ensure the right people get the money.

She maintained that the government did not want to “rush into paying people and then realise that they didn’t even exist.”

“So, we have a couple of things that have been listed out. First and foremost, as you know, there is an ongoing payment of ₦25,000 to poor households in Nigeria, and this is going to happen for three months, amounting to ₦75,000. ⁣⁣

“Now, this is an immediate cushioning of the economic shock that these households are experiencing. However, we’re taking our time going through the rigorous process. And the reason is simple; We want to be sure that the right people get the money, we identify them, they have their NINs, they have their BVNs and they paid. We don’t want to rush into paying people and then you realise that they don’t even exist.⁣⁣

“That’s why we went through the process of verification, and payments have started. Different states across the country can attest to this; individual poor households as well. And this we will make public so it’s not even secret. Public so that Nigerians can hold us accountable,” she said.⁣⁣

Edu further said that President Bola Tinubu planned to create jobs for Nigerians through agriculture and social projects. 

“This is 15 million households, which automatically amounts to about 61 million persons. Beyond this, the President is going to be creating jobs for millions of Nigerians through different methods. We’re providing zero-interest loans for markets, petty traders, market women, amongst other people,” she said.

⁣⁣“We’re also supporting poor farmers. We’re bringing on board the End Hunger Project, we’re equally bringing on board the Good Nigeria Project, and several other projects. And each of these projects has the targeted amount of persons who we want to reach through our social safety net projects. ⁣

Recall that in August, Edu said the FG was committed to lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty through her ministry.

She explained that the ministry would achieve the target through different interventions and initiatives aimed at lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.