As part of its effort to make life easier for the poor in the society, the Oyo State Government, south west Nigeria, has commenced the distribution and activation of debit cards to beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCTP).
The CCTP is a Federal Government programme aimed at making life better for the poor in all the states of the Federation, by giving five thousand naira (#5,000) monthly allowance to identified poor persons from various communities.
The Head of the Oyo State Cash Transfer Unit, Mr Oladipo Ezekiel, while monitoring the ongoing CCTP exercise in some of the Local Government Areas in the state capital, Ibadan, said the program would help improve human capital development.
He said: “This will improve on the household dietary consumption, prevent vulnerables from falling further down poverty line, build resilience to withstand shocks and risks, while improving human capital development.”
The Head of the Oyo State Cash Transfer Unit stated further, that the Federal Government had assigned payment service providers to all the states of the Federation and Oyo was assigned to Unified Payment (UP) who printed the debit cards on behalf of the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO).
He distributionnoted that distribution had commenced across the state.
Oladipo revealed that the Federal Government deemed it fit to switch from the old mode of payment to a digital system so as to ease the stress beneficiaries pass through and reduce the risk of robbery attacks.
He explained that there were about 16,461 beneficiaries from 458 wards, and 1885 communities, in Oyo State.
He therefore enjoined the beneficiaries to keep their debit cards safe and join community cash contribution, in order to boost their capital development which would reduce the menace of poverty among citizens of the Nigerian society.
Hauwa Abu
