The Federal Government has begun the second disbursement of over N1.3 billion to 131,764 beneficiaries in Zamfara State under the Household Uplifting Programme-Conditional Cash Transfer (HUP-CCT).
The HUP-CCT is one of the Four Social Investment Programmes anchored by the Federal Government to reduce poverty level among poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
The HUP-CCT Head of Unit Cash Transfer in Zamfara, Alhaji Sani Marafa, disclosed this in Bungudu town, Bungudu Local Government Area of the state, on Monday, while monitoring the disbursement exercise.
Marafa said the disbursement will be conducted in six benefiting Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the state.
Marafa, represented by the Training and Communication Officer, State Cash Transfer Unit, Zamfara, Alhaji Nasiru Ja’afar, gave a breakdown of beneficiaries from the benefiting LGAs as follows: “Kaura-Namoda – 31,731 beneficiaries, Bungudu – 26,438, Anka – 14,952, Talata-Mafara – 18,229, Birnin-Magaji – 13,858 and Tsafe – 25,551.
He further noted that the second disbursement of the grant was for two months and that each beneficiary is entitled to N5,000 per month.
“Under the scheme, each beneficiary will be paid two months stipend of N10,000.
“Those beneficiaries have been selected from 1,116 communities in 51 wards of the six benefiting LGAs.
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“The objective of this programme is to alleviate poverty and ensure sustainable livelihoods from the grassroots, thus targeting the poor and vulnerable people in rural communities and followed up with coaching and mentoring exercise to train them on how to save,” Marafa explained.
According to him, the financial assistance is to uplift the households to enable them to engage in small-scale businesses to become self-reliant and uplift their standards of living.
Marafa commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Faruk, for her untiring efforts towards the success of the programme that had a direct bearing on the people of the state and Nigeria at large.
He told the beneficiaries that whosoever failed to collect his Permanent Payment Card or misplaced the card, should not hesitate to show up during the mop-up exercise after the normal payment. He also assured that all eligible beneficiaries would be paid in good time.
The National Communication Officer of the Programme, Mr Henry Ayede, said the payment was for the months of September and October 2020.
“The payment system is fully electronic. The beneficiaries come with their permanent payment card to collect their stipend at various pay units. So far, the exercise has been very effective.
“It will take us 10 days to complete the payment and we will conduct a mop-up to pay those who are yet to receive their money,” he said.
He, however, urged men to support their wives to use the money judiciously. One of the beneficiaries, Fatima Muhammad, from the Farga Community, Nahuche Ward, in Bungudu LGA, commended the Federal Government for the gesture.
“This intervention has fully assisted us, the last payment I was given N50,000 and now I received N10, 000 as my two months grant,” she said
