Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Federal Government is reviewing and expanding the National Social Register to accommodate pensioners and ex-servicemen under its Conditional Cash Transfer scheme.

It is also removing beneficiaries who have excited the poverty line.

Leading Reporters gathered that the government was also taking out dead beneficiaries from the register and would disqualify those without National Identification Numbers and Bank Verification Numbers.

It was further gathered that payments would be made directly to the beneficiaries by the Central Bank of Nigeria and not through consultants, as the first batch of bulk payments would begin next week for five million households.

The Conditional Cash Transfer scheme is part of the National Social Investment Programme of the Federal Government, which is a project created to change the lives of millions of Nigerians living in extreme poverty, upgrade their standards of living and improve the economy.

In commemoration of the 2023 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Tuesday in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu launched the disbursement of N25,000 to 15 million households for three months as a social safety net intervention.

The aim is to mitigate the impact of the recent fuel subsidy removal and help eradicate poverty across the country.

Providing further details on the initiative in response to inquiries by Saturday PUNCH, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Rasheed Olanrewaju, stated that the cash transfer scheme had been reviewed and expanded.

Asked if the Federal Government would use the old register used by the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration to transfer the money, he stated, “We are using a verified expanded register that has pensioners and veterans, as well as other vulnerable persons who were not captured.”

Confirming the position of the minister’s media aide, the National Communications Manager, National Social Investment Programme Agency, Jamaldeen Kabir, stated that beneficiaries who had exited the poverty line were being removed from the register.

Kabir said, “What he (Olanrewaju) told you is very correct, because the register is being expanded. First of all, it has to be verified so that those who are out of the poverty line will be removed from the old register.

“Those in the register, are they still within the poverty line or have they exited the line? The expansion will also include the wives of fallen heroes and pensioners.”

On when the cash transfer would begin, Olanrewaju stated that though bulk payments would commence from next week, some of those who had been verified had already started receiving payment alerts.

“The cash transfer (scheme) has been launched and once a household is verified, they get paid. The batches begin this month, next week to be precise; however, verified people have started receiving alerts,” he stated.

Also commenting on when the cash transfer would begin, Kabir said, “Actually, when the programme was launched at the Presidential Villa three days ago, some beneficiaries were presented with some cheques.

“So, before this month ends, the beneficiaries in the first phase will receive theirs, and this phase caters to five million households. So, we are expecting those five million households to receive money in the months of October, November and December,” Olanrewaju added.

On how many ghost recipients had been discovered, the minister’s aide stated that a lot of measures had been put in place to make the scheme credible, such as the introduction of the NIN and BVN.

“They may not be ghosts, but we have put in place many controls to make the process credible and clean. First, we looked for the NIN and BVN to match with in-person verification and biometrics. The process is from the CBN to the beneficiaries; there are no middlemen,” Olanrewaju stated.

Asked to state the number of dead recipients, he replied, “We have struck off many names following the verification. The final figure will be out in weeks; it may run into millions.

“Some are dead; some are no longer in that category (of the poor) and some could not be identified at locations given, so wait till we get the compilation ready,” he added.

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Asked to state those involved in identity theft, he said, “All these will be determined when the final report is out. For now, we will pay those fully verified and the names will be pasted in communities.

“Fifteen million households amount to about 62 million individuals, with an average of five persons per household.”

The humanitarian ministry stated that the determination of the Federal Government to eradicate poverty was in line with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which has poverty eradication, food security, economic growth and job creation as priorities.

At the launch of the cash transfer scheme on Tuesday, Tinubu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, enumerated various steps his administration had taken to ameliorate poverty in the country.

These, according to the President, include providing the policy framework and road map for poverty alleviation, developing humanitarian response and expanding the National Social Register to capture Nigerians living below $1.95 per day.

Other steps include restructuring of the National Social Investment Programme and repositioning it for quick and efficient delivery that is transparent, as well as partnering with the World Bank Group and other development partners to implement conditional cash transfers and business grants, among others.

The ministry stated that the government was also investing N100bn in the purchase of 3,000 units of 20-seater Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses for cheaper transportation.

It further stated that there was an investment of N200bn to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmland to improve food security.

The ministry added, “The release of 2,000 metric tonnes of grains from the strategic grains reserves to households across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The distribution of 225,000 metric tonnes of fertilisers and seedlings to farmers, who are committed to the nation’s food security.

“The release of N75bn to support 100,000 small and medium enterprises and start-ups. Renewed Hope Shelter Programme for the poor, refugees and internally displaced persons targeted at one million households.

“Business grants and loans for vulnerable market women, farmers and traders to expand their business, targeted at two million beneficiaries, among other interventions from various ministries through a multi-sectoral approach.”

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, recently stated that all stakeholders, including the private sector players, development partners and other nations, should support Nigeria in its drive to eliminate poverty.

She stated, “The cardinal goal of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is to give the poor and vulnerable Nigerians a new breath of hope, which is also in line with the SDG target”

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not relent until vulnerable Nigerians are completely pulled out of poverty by 2030.”

Edu said the conditional cash transfer was a proven way to alleviate poverty, as it would give households the financial support to start micro and small enterprises, provide basic health care and food, keep their children in school and attend to the immediate needs of the households.

She stated, “Mr. President, during the October 1, 2023, national broadcast, announced this intervention; we have gone through a thorough and rigorous process of verification for the National Social Register, giving us the lead way to begin payments.

“The beneficiaries are drawn from across all states in the country plus the Federal Capital Territory and it is being done in a transparent manner that is traceable and verifiable.

“Beyond this, the government will be providing low-cost shelter for the poor and internally displaced persons as a form of providing that cover for them.

“Several other interventions, including the rural vocational skills intervention, will be carried out on a country-wide scale. All of these are targeted at the various dimensions of poverty across the country.”

The Ogun State Government has said the campgrounds of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, and the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry in the state are open for residents displaced by the coastal floods currently ravaging the state.

The state Commissioner of Environment, Mr Oladimeji Oresanya, in a telephone interview with newsmen on Friday urged residents who were willing to leave the areas to contact the state emergency response teams and the National Emergency Management Agency, who would send their officials to help them leave.

Following the floods in the area occasioned by rising sea levels, rainfall and the release of water from the Oyan dam, no fewer than 100 landlords have had to abandon their homes, fleeing the havoc.

A landlord in the area, Mr Paschal Uchendu, said he had to flee his home on Friday (yesterday) so as not to be caught up by the issues.

In an interview with our correspondent on Friday, he said, “This one is even worse than the flood of 2019. From my assessment, this is the worst we have seen so far.  It has even cut off a section of the Warewa Road.

“People are leaving already. Most landlords left three days ago when it started. I personally left today (Friday) after the flood entered my house. The flood has covered everywhere in the area.

“We are about 20 landlords in my own area, and the houses there are over 100. You can imagine the number of families that have been displaced as a result of this problem.”

A landlord and Chairman, Riverview Estate Residents and Stakeholders Association, Mr Abayomi Akinde, said the floods had affected his estate tremendously, adding that a lot of homeowners have fled.

“A lot of havoc is being done at the moment. As I speak to you now, I am wading through water, not on the street, but in my living room. My entire house has been overtaken by the floods.

“I am lucky I have a space upstairs. Some are not as lucky. Everyone has fled. The only thing that has made me remain is that I cannot just leave my house like that.

“There are some people that the floods entered into their homes through the window. The water level is so high. It is a very devastating occurrence that needs not to have happened at all,” he said.

He noted that former President, Goodluck Jonathan, visited the area on October 20, 2013, and made a lot of promises to address the issue, which, according to him, has not been fulfilled.

“The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, also visited the area in 2019 and I had the honour to speak to him directly. He promised to fix the problem with infrastructure but nothing was done. All the measures taken are from resident associations and other political stakeholders in the area,” Akinde added.

Reacting, the environment commissioner, Oresanya, said residents in the area had since been advised by the government to evacuate their homes or elevate them to suit the terrain.

He, however, noted that residents who were willing to leave could call the state’s emergency centres on 08036401944 and 09010480056, adding that the emergency respondents would come to help evacuate them to the church hostels.

He said, “We have advised that people living around the coastal areas to either evacuate or elevate their homes or roads. This means they can raise their houses, floors, or roads.

“The government has made provision. Most of the churches around Ogun State have hostels that they can use, and they are open to the displaced residents.

“We have already discussed with the likes of RCCG, MFM, and others, and they have opened up their hostels for us in the state so that people who want to relocate can move to those areas temporarily for one or two months.

“The state emergency management agency, as well as NEMA, is on the ground to provide relief material to our people.”

He also added that he had gone physically to tell the residents of these coastal areas to leave as there was nothing the government would be able to do about infrastructure at this time since the floods were already here.

Speaking on the causes of the perennial flooding in the area, Oresanya said it was wrong to attribute it only to the release of water from the Oyan dam in the state.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, on Friday, allayed the fears of residents along the Ogun-Osun river bank following reports of flooding experienced in these affected areas.

He assured the residents of the state’s preparedness to contain any eventuality that may arise with the intensity of the flow of the runoff water from the upland into Lagos.

Wahab who made this remark while fielding questions from journalists during a press briefing on the recent flooding situation along the basin of the Ogun River and lagoon coastline held on Friday at the conference room of the ministry said it had become important that homeowners within these areas relocate immediately to higher grounds.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday, revealed his plan to facilitate the release of 4,000 inmates as part of efforts to decongest prisons nationwide.

Leading Reporters learnt that the interior ministry is working with the private sector to pay fines for inmates as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The minister said several inmates were incarcerated over their inability to pay fines, promising that the interior ministry will ensure the fines are paid and inmates released within four weeks.

“Immediately I assumed office, the first thing I did was set up a small committee to be able to review the situation of our correctional centres vis-à-vis the inmates as they are, and we discovered that over 4,000 of these inmates are still in custody due to their inability to pay fines.

“We looked at how much the total fine is. It’s about five hundred and something million, and I can tell you we’ve gone very far dealing with the private sector in terms of CSR to put this money together, and I’m sure that in the next three weeks, or four weeks maximum, because I like to be held responsible for what I say, so in the next four weeks, by the grace of God, we would have been able to pay those fines for over 4,000 people. That will reduce from the present almost 79,000 inmates to about 75,000.

“I would say that we must also understand that when it comes to the congestion of prison, it’s not an entirely Ministry of Interior thing. Yes, the Ministry of Interior must take the lead, but obviously, we are going to work with the attorney general because you cannot just open your gates

“We must look at setting up that sort of interministerial relationship that we are already working on to be able to expedite cases based on the Administration of Criminal Justice System, so we are already looking in that particular direction and also to further decongest,” said the minister, who stressed that prisons across the country are holding more inmates than what they were designed for.

“The situation of the correctional service is very worrisome, for instance, in Lagos Command, all the correctional centres were built for like 4,800 inmates, but today we have over 9,000 inmates, so that’s like over 100 per cent in Lagos alone.

“We will definitely decongest our correctional centres by maybe 67 % which will be a very huge one, we have looked at the financial implication of it, we’re already working on that and I can tell you that in due course we’ll come back to Nigerians to tell you when exactly this will actually be actualized,” he added.

The national chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr Major Agbo, loyal to the founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, has escaped an assassination attempt in his office in Abuja.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Agbo said that he escaped the assassination attempt in the NNPP’s newly opened office, adding that the attempt was made on his life while he was in the office on Monday, 16th August 2023.

“I walked in here at about 2.45 pm, and shortly after that, two men walked in, ignoring the protocol advice from the desk boys in the front office.

“They walked in with weapons demanding to meet me; unknown to them, they were talking to me. It was evident that they never knew me physically, infact my saving grace was that I was not sitting on my chair.

“Pointing a short gun at me, they demanded that I produce ‘Major Agbo,’ who one of them claimed was his coursemate at Command and Staff College, Jaji.

“I asked him if he would identify his coursemate he was talking about if seen, and he replied ‘yes.’ I then told them Major Agbo was not around. They speedily withdrew, ran into their ash-coloured Toyota Corolla car parked by the express roadside (to aid escape) and sped away.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are all aware of the recent developments in the party as a result of attempts to hijack it by some ill-advised elements and political opportunists.

“Let me also confirm to you that I have received several threats through WhatsApp voice calls telling me I would pay with my life for standing in the way in their quest to take the party from its founder and its mother organisation – NAGAFF.

“They made real their threat on Monday but failed woefully as they could not identify me. The matter has been reported to the appropriate quarters for action.

“It is my sincere hope that you would lend your voices to this brazen attempt to take my life over what does not belong to them.

“It is my hope that you would let the whole world know that my life is presently in danger by usurpers who were not part of our party in its twenty-two years of existence but only joined us last year.”

The Kaduna State Police Command, on Thursday, confirmed the brutal murder of a member of the National Youth Service Corps member, Grace Chalya Silas, by yet-to-be-identified assailants in the state.

Leading Reporters learnt that the state Police Commissioner, CP Musa Yusuf Garba, has directed a manhunt for the killers of the Corps member.

Chalya Silas, who’s doing her one-year mandatory national service in the state, was reported to have been stabbed to death during her morning jogging at the Barnawa, in Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday.

The deceased’s friends and coursemates at the University of Jos took to Facebook to m

One of them, Comfort Elisha, wrote on her Facebook handle, “No na. What is really happening to Jossite and the Special Education department? We haven’t finished mourning Kekefas Emmanuel, and now it’s Chalya, brutally killed in Kaduna during her morning jogging while serving her fatherland. May your killers know no peace Chalya. This is too much to bear.”

However,  the Kaduna Command’s Public Relations Officer,  ASP Mansir Hassan, while confirming the incident described the death of the Corps member as “tragic”.

Hassan said the Commissioner of Police, CP Musa Yusuf Garba, after an emergency meeting of the top hierarchy of the command, had ordered the Barnawa Divisional Police Officer and operatives to hunt for the killers of the Corps member.

The police spokesman said, “It’s a very tragic incident. She was performing her early morning jogging(exercise) when some miscreants(phone snatchers) on motorcycles pounced on her.

“The victim’s name is Grace Chalya Silas. She was a Corps member serving in Kaduna South.

“When the case was reported to the police, operatives responded swiftly and moved to the scene of the crime where they saw the victim in the pool of her own blood. She was rushed to the clinic, where she was later confirmed dead.

“Since the incident was reported to the police, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Musa Yusuf Garba, held an emergency meeting with the top hierarchy of command over the matter. We are already in touch with NYSC in the state.

“The CP has directed the Barnawa DPO  and Area Commander, to immediately hunt for killers of the Corps member and fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act.”

Kaduna – Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has approved the release of N3.1 Billion for the payment of gratuity for retirees and death benefits for families of the deceased under the Defined Benefit Scheme and the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The State government stated that the development was in tandem with Governor Sani’s commitment in easing the hardship faced by the elderly, who are among the state’s most vulnerable.

Muhammad Lawal Shehu, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor in a statement, explained that the Governor Sani remained committed in ensuring that upon retirement,workers who have served Kaduna State diligently, have full access to what is rightfully theirs.

“The Kaduna State Government through the State Pension Bureau is resolute in ensuring the continuity of the release of these payments for gratuity and death benefits to beneficiaries in the state.”

“The release of these funds will aid in ameliorating the ripple effects of current economic realities,especially for the elderly who have retired from active service.The full list and details of beneficiaries will be released by the State Pension Bureau in the coming days,” the statement added.

No fewer than 12 persons have died due to a cholera outbreak in Ogun State within one month, the state government has said.

On September 17, the Ogun State Ministry of Health alerted of the outbreak of cholera in Ijebu North Local Government Area of the State.

The disease, according to the Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, has since spread to Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South Local Governments, with 217 cases recorded in Ijebu North only.

She has now confirmed that 12 fatalities have been recorded out of the 246 cases recorded so far

Coker gave an update on the disease after an engagement with stakeholders at the ministry in Abeokuta.

“Unfortunately, we have a report of 246 cases, and there has been at least about 12 deaths, which brings us to a fatality rate of 44.6 per cent.

“This is slightly high for a state like ours because we are educated. And from what we found out that’s actually promoting the cholera outbreak is the fact that there’s high level of open defecation in Ogun State,” she said.

Coker warned residents to abstain from open defecation and ensure proper hygiene to eliminate the disease.

She said water sources had been contaminated by faecal materials due to open defecation.

She said the government had begun chlorinating wells in Ijebu North to restore normalcy.

A yet-to-be-identified man had reportedly slumped and died in the late hours of Tuesday in the Oke-Abetu area of Abeokuta South Local government in Ogun State.

Leading Reporters gathered on Wednesday, that the man, in his late fifties, was walking along the roadside before slumping and immediately gave up the ghost.

A member of the community, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity for fear of being quizzed by the police noted that the man who appeared healthy just slumped without collision with anything and died immediately.

“The man was walking along the roadside when we noticed that he just slumped and died. He does not look like someone who is sick and he did not collide with anything that we may say is the cause of his death.”

Another source within the school located at the spot where the man died, who only identified as Vice-Principal Academics, noted that the school management in conjunction with the community leaders had made efforts to get government authorities to pick the remains of the man but it did not yielded any result.

He said, “We discovered the corpse yesterday when we saw people gathered around him. We learnt that the man was walking by the roadside before he slumped and died immediately. The school management reached out to the community CDA and the police in Adatan.

“The Principal of our school in the company of the police took the corpse to Sacred Heart Hospital in Lantoro and State Hospital, Ijaiye to deposit the corpse at their morgue but they rejected it saying there was no space to accommodate it. As we speak the corpse has been returned back to the spot that he died.”

Contacted, state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident and noted that the man’s identity remains unknown, as no family members have been identified. She said that health officials had been notified to bury him.

“The Police don’t have information about him because he has no known family members. Health officials have been notified and they will bury him,” Odutola disclosed.

In a determined attempt to resolve the 60-year-old land tussle between Ado and Ilawe Ekiti, the Ekiti State government has summoned the lawyers and surveyors of the two feuding towns.

The government said the action became imperative following unraveling of documents that needed to be viewed with intellectual and mental expertise of these professionals representing the two disputing communities and their counterparts in the public service.

The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye gave the directive in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, while mediating in a 60- year old land dispute between Ilawe-Ekiti and Ado.

The Deputy Governor, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Victor Ogunje, frowned at the reported cases of assaults being experienced on the land, despite the stringent warning that nobody should trespass on the land until the matter is finally resolved.

“Available records show that this land dispute began in 1963, but we have to try and lay it to rest. Ado and Ilawe Ekiti are one and it is the love and unity that has existed between you that must be the guiding principle in this matter.

“We won’t wait until you start killing yourself before taking action. Governor Biodun Oyebanji is a promoter of peace and unity and nobody will be allowed to jeopardise his efforts in this regard.

“We are giving you an ultimatum of two weeks to bring your surveyors and lawyers to work with experts from the Ministry of Justice and our Land dispute Resolution Technical Committee to look at all the available documents.

“These experts will also guide us on all former documented agreements you had entered into since 1971 on that land to know the direction we are going to toe for speedy resolution of this crisis,” he said.

The Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Ajibade Alabi, appreciated the government for being zealous in resolving the crisis, claiming that his town, through the Ekiti South Local Government, had paid for a portion of the contentious area of the land going by available documentation.

The monarch, represented by Elemo of Oke -Emo, Chief Gbenga Agbona, promised to abide by the verdict passed by the government so that the matter can be resolved expeditiously.

The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, represented by Akitipa of Odo Community, Chief Ademola Adepoju, applauded the government for being impartial in the resolution of the crisis.

Oba Adejugbe pledged that his people will abide by the government’s instruction and comply with all directives that would avert bloodshed or violence over the land tussle.