Reps probe delayed disbursement of conditional cash transfer

The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to investigate the delay in the disbursement of conditional cash transfers to some nominees under the Household Upliftment Programme of the Federal Government.

During a plenary session presided over by Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, the House agreed to constitute an ad hoc committee to probe the delay in the payment of the funds.

The committee has been given a mandate to report back within four weeks.

The resolution came after the adoption of a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Ibadan North-East/Ibadan South-East Federal Constituency in Oyo State, Mr. Abbas Adigun.

In September 2016, the Federal Government, in partnership with the World Bank, launched a Social Safety Nets Programme for Nigeria.

The National Cash Transfer Office was tasked with implementing the Household Uplifting Programme-Conditional Cash Transfers, which aims to support poor and vulnerable households across the country.

The programme is part of the Federal Government’s broader growth and social inclusion strategy to address critical social issues in Nigeria.

Speaking on the motion, Adigun, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, stated, “To ensure the effective and efficient delivery of the programme, nominees were informed in August 2024 that they would each receive N50,000 for three months.”

He explained that the nominees’ details were filled out and submitted online through the portal dedicated to the programme, with payments scheduled to be made directly to the nominees’ bank accounts nationwide.

The goal was to alleviate the economic hardship faced by the poor and vulnerable.

However, Adigun expressed concern that some nominees had not received payments months after completing their information on the portal.

He also noted that some nominees were still awaiting payment, with the National Cash Transfer Office not responding to the issue.