The Federal Government on Thursday began the digitisation of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) process in Lagos, so as to enhance the programme.
Mrs Yetunde Arobieke, the Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, said the digitisation would make payment to beneficiaries easier.
Arobieke spoke at the flag-off of the Distribution of ATM Cards and Activation of Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) to Lagos State Conditional Cash Transfer Beneficiaries.
She said that the digitisation became necessary to ensure and further enhance transparency, accountability and integrity in the delivering of programme benefits to beneficiaries.
Arobieke said that the beneficiaries of the CCT in Lagos State had been receiving the bi-monthly cash stipends from the programme.
She added that the beneficiaries had been availed with the much need capacity building skills, through the Savings & Group Mobilisation (SGM) trainings, which had being of immense benefits to their livelihood.
Arobieke said that the capacity building skills had culminated in the result of the success stories that had been shared across the targeted local government areas and local council development areas.
She said that the Federal Government in partnership with the World Bank established the National Social Safety Nets Project (NASSP), which had played a pivotal role at ending extreme poverty.
”From inception to date, the programme has successfully paid beneficiaries via a transparent and accountable means that enables the NASSP programme to pay beneficiaries at their door step through Payment Service Providers (PSPs).
”This process has made payment and reconciliation easy. In spite of this level of success, the programme is commencing a full digitisation of its payment processes.
”This digitised method will use online system of digital accounts (Nigeria Uniform Bank Account Numbers), opened by licensed PSPs such as commercial banks, microfinance banks, payment service banks and mobile money operators.
”This arrangement has become necessary to ensure and further enhance transparency, accountability and integrity in the delivering of programme benefits to beneficiaries.
”Our gratitude goes to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari, for being a father to the nation and putting the programme in place with his audacious vision of lifting 100 million people out of the poverty net,” she said.
The Head of Unit, Lagos State Cash Transfer, Mrs Lola Orimoogunje, said that the beneficiaries were expected to change the default PINs when given their ATM cards.
Orimoogunje urged them to guide their PINs jealously, so that someone would not use it to withdraw the stipend from the bank.