We’ve disbursed N600bn in cash transfers to over nine million households, Tinubu govt fighting effect of fuel subsidy on Nigerians – FG

The Federal Government has disclosed that more than N600 billion has been disbursed through its cash transfer programme to slightly over nine million households as part of efforts to cushion the impact of economic hardship following the removal of fuel subsidy.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the administration’s poverty reduction programmes amid concerns over the rising cost of living.

Doro said the cash transfer initiative was introduced primarily as a stabilisation measure to support vulnerable Nigerians affected by the economic shocks triggered by the subsidy removal.

“Over N600 billion in cash transfers has been done in three tranches, and that has made significant impact. We have reached slightly over nine million households, about 10 million households,” he said.

However, the minister acknowledged that the government had yet to establish through updated data the exact number of beneficiaries who had been lifted out of poverty as a direct result of the intervention.

He explained that the poverty figures currently being relied upon were based on the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index, while the government was commissioning a fresh assessment.

“I have not given you any figure. What I’ve said is this: there have been several interventions. I won’t give you a figure if we have not already reviewed what is going on. We will do this review and once we do that review, we will be able to share the numbers,” Doro said.

According to him, poverty can be measured using different approaches, including income-based assessments and multidimensional poverty indicators that consider access to healthcare, education and other basic necessities.

FG Moves to Reform Social Protection System

Doro also disclosed that the Federal Government was working to overhaul the country’s social protection system through the newly introduced One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System.

He described the initiative as a major reform aimed at addressing fragmentation and improving coordination among poverty reduction and humanitarian interventions.

“Before now, our delivery has been in such a way that it is fragmented, with different people doing different things to try to help the situation. But with the new reforms, it brings coordination and brings everything together so that the programmes and interventions start talking to one another,” he said.

The minister said the framework would coordinate interventions across the federal, state and local governments while strengthening collaboration with international development partners.

He added that the system was designed to minimise duplication, improve efficiency and ensure that government resources reached Nigerians who genuinely needed assistance.

“We want to avoid duplication and inefficiencies. We want to make sure that every naira that we invest is actually going directly to the last mile, and also be able to capture and meet the needs of the people who are truly in need of these interventions,” he said.

Doro identified the Unified National Social Registry as a key component of the new system, explaining that it contains information on poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

He said eligible beneficiaries would be identified through the registry, enrolled in appropriate programmes and subsequently monitored through growth and exit registers until they were able to graduate from poverty.

18,000 Nigerians Receive Vocational Support

The minister also highlighted other government interventions, including vocational training programmes for more than 18,000 Nigerians.

According to him, beneficiaries received starter kits, stipends and business management training aimed at helping them establish sustainable businesses.

Doro said the ministry’s responsibility was to ensure that the benefits of the government’s broader economic reforms translated into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

“My job is to translate macroeconomic gains to the micro level. As a Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, I translate the macroeconomic gains to the micro level,” he said.

Minister Defends Economic Reforms

Defending the administration’s economic policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market, Doro argued that the measures had contributed to stabilising the economy.

He also said inflation had started declining, noting that it had fallen from a peak of slightly above 34 per cent to about 15 per cent based on recent readings.

“We are actually driving down inflation, and that translates to increase in purchasing power,” he said.

Doro acknowledged that reducing poverty would take time, citing China’s experience of lifting hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty following decades of economic reforms and sustained growth.

“Things take time. China took about 40 years to be able to achieve the scale that they achieved. Nigeria can scale up poverty reduction, and I’m here to establish the system,” he said.

He assured Nigerians that the government would continue to deploy shock-responsive cash transfers and other interventions whenever necessary to support poor and vulnerable citizens while longer-term poverty reduction measures take effect.

Doro also said the ministry was prepared to subject the cash transfer programme to a comprehensive and transparent impact assessment to determine its effectiveness.

“Yes, why not? If we do a holistic impact assessment, why not?” he said.

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