The hope of
the poorest Nigerians to experience a change in their standard of living since
the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 may have been
dashed,
following an alleged hijack of the Federal Government’s monthly stipend by
GREEDY politicians.
The Presidency
had two weeks ago announced the payment of the stipends to the poor through the
Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) of its Social Investment Programmes.
The Senior
Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande,
who disclosed this, explained that under the CCT, one million Nigerians would
receive the stipend as a form of social safety net.
Akande said
the exercise had commenced with the first batch of beneficiaries from three out
of nine states the pilot scheme would cover already collecting the money.
Under the
arrangement, he said Borno, Kwara and Bauchi states had started paying the
money, while beneficiaries in Cross River, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti
states would smile soon.
However,
investigations by Punch correspondents in Borno, Kwara and Bauchi showed that
top politicians were the ones choosing people to benefit from the scheme.
Potential
beneficiaries also alleged during separate interviews that they were not
carried along, despite the fact that they fall within the catchment area.
Also, contrary
to the belief that the N5,000 will be shared per person, the administrators of
the scheme in Kwara were observed giving N5,000 to an entire household.
KWARA
In Kwara,
government had said 10,700 ‘households’ were currently benefiting from the
first phase of the programme in the state.
But two
factional Chairmen of the PDP in the state, Mr. Iyiola Oyedepo and Mr. Sunday
Fagbemi, said they were not aware that anybody or any of their party members
had got the stipends.
The Senior
Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Media and Communication, Dr.
Muyideen Akorede, however, insisted that 12 local government areas were
participating in the first phase, while the remaining four LGAs would be
considered for the second phase.
Akorede said
the Kwara State Government was fully involved in selecting the beneficiaries.
He said the
process was based on data collected for the World Bank-supported Youth
Employment and Social Support Operation, where each community identified those
considered as poor.
But PDP's Mr.
Oyedepo said he was not aware that the payment had commenced in the state,
adding that PDP was not carried along in the selection of the beneficiaries.
Expressing a
similar opinion, Fagbemi said, “I have not heard of a single fellow from PDP
that benefitted from such. The scheme should be for everybody.”
Also, some
indigenes of Offa said they were not aware of the stipends being paid.
Among those
who spoke on the issue with Punch were a 40-year-old commercial motorcycle
rider, Omoboriola Abiodun; a 52-year-old petty trader, Mrs. Yusuf Adijatu; a
62-year-old grinding machine operator, Mrs. Lydia Oladele; a 50-year-old bread
seller, Mrs. Racheal Olayemi; a 55-year-old bread seller, Mrs. Taibat
Omojasola; and a 54-year-old motorcycle rider, Mr. Musliu Rahman.
Rahman said,
“I have not heard of the scheme or the payment. I am not aware of any list of
poor people in Offa. I don’t think poor people in Offa have received it and I
have not been contacted by anybody over the payment of any stipend.”
A recharge
card seller at the Muritala Muhammed Way, Ilorin, also stated that he had not
benefitted from the scheme.
Likewise, a
foodstuff seller at Oja-Oba (market), Mrs. Sadikat Monruf, and a street trader,
Saka, said they had not been contacted by any government official concerning
the money for the poor.
BORNO
The situation
got worse in Borno State as top politicians, including a prominent member of
the Senate and a Presidency official from the state, disagreed openly over the
beneficiary list.
Few persons
were said to have collected the stipend shortly before payment was suspended
following a ‘fight’ between the two politicians.
A manual
social register was generated for the scheme which gave room for manipulation.
A top
government official, on condition of anonymity, said, “It was the pressure
mounted on the state government by the two political gladiators that made us
settle for manual registration.”
A social
activist, Mr. Grema Terab, complained that the administration of the scheme was
faulty from the initial stage in Borno.
He said, “The
whole exercise was faulty from the inception in Borno; there was no way for
many to be registered as there was no formal registration office or centre.
“The state was
only able to initially register 6,000 out of its quota of 13,000 due to
complacency on the part of those given the task of handling the registration.
“People have
no easy access to the form as it was politicised by the coordinators in the
state. There was no clear information on what they (applicants) should do or
how to go about it.”
Many Maiduguri
residents also expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the scheme
was being carried out in the state.
A resident,
who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “My name is on the register but I’ve
not received payment. When some of us that had not been paid made enquiries
last week, we were told we had a problem with our registration.”
Another resident,
who also craved anonymity, asked the Federal Government to stop politicians
from interfering with the beneficiaries’ list.
He said, “I am
aware that two big politicians determined the list and with this, the real poor
people won’t benefit. The government officials will keep the money and give out
peanuts to those who go to their house.”
BAUCHI
Punch gathered
that the payment of the N5,000 monthly stipend had yet to commence in Bauchi
State, contrary to the presidency’s claims.
The Special
Assistant to the Bauchi governor on Development Partners and Non-Governmental
Organisations, Manu Soro, however, said his office had received confirmation
from the Federal Government that the money had been disbursed to the state
accounts.
Asked how the
list was drawn, Manu said the state used a National Poverty Map as a guide to
draw up the list.
He said
officials carefully selected by the government went round the communities to
get the list of the vulnerable and poor people.
The Special
Adviser denied allegations that only APC members were being considered for the
scheme, stating that all those who qualified, irrespective of party
affiliations, would benefit.
“We have no
political interference in this scheme,” he said.
However, a
stalwart of the PDP in Bauchi, Yusuf Alkaleri, who spoke to Punch on the phone,
said PDP members were not considered for the scheme.
He said the
members were shocked to hear that the list had already been drawn.
He said, “To
be very honest with you, no PDP member who is poor and vulnerable has been
captured to benefit from this scheme.
“All we know
is that a list was drawn and taken to President Buhari and he approved it. We
didn’t know when they drew the list because it was done secretly. We don’t even
know how it was drawn. They’ve made it an APC affair.”
A
cross-section of poor and homeless people in the state capital said that only
people with links to politicians were beneficiaries of the stipend.
One of them,
Abdu Hassan, said, “It is for only people who are connected to influential
politicians. I have no salary, no pension, nothing. When I heard of the policy,
I was happy because I felt I would enjoy it, but unfortunately, it was not so.”
Another
respondent, Datua Manga, said, “I looked for the form to fill so I can be
enrolled but didn’t get. I went to the National Identity Management Commission
office three different times hoping that I will get the form but my efforts
were fruitless.”
EKITI
As of Friday
morning, over 700 out of the 3,600 beneficiaries on the list had received the
N5,000 monthly stipend in Ekiti State, according to the Special Assistant to
Governor Ayodele Fayose on New Media and Public Communications, Mr. Lere
Olayinka.
But the state
Commissioner for Information, Youths and Sports, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, faulted
the list being used by the Federal Government to pay the money, and insisted
that it was different from that compiled two years ago by the World Bank.
Besides, he
said, anyone operating a bank account should not be categorised as a poor
person which the scheme was meant for.
According to
him, the programme is bereft of definition and is deceitful as to who is
qualified.
We’re using
Jonathan’s register for disbursement – Presidency
The Presidency
insisted that the disbursement of the fund was not designed to benefit only
members of the ruling APC.
Mr. Laolu
Akande said the social registers being used to determine beneficiaries in the
states were prepared about three years ago, “long before the inception of the present
administration.”
He said, “The
CCT was not designed with partisan consideration. The social registers being
used were prepared by the World Bank about three years ago.
“We understand
that some Nigerians will doubt the government’s intention because of their past
experiences.”
Akande also
disclosed that money had been released for all the nine states that were
pencilled down for the pilot scheme of the programme.
The states are
Borno, Kwara, Bauchi, Cross River, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti.
He said the
current challenge in some states was how beneficiaries without Bank
Verification Numbers would be able to access the fund.
He however
said arrangements were being made with banks to ensure that the money got to
the beneficiaries irrespective of where they reside.
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