No fewer than 4.3 million Nigerians have received direct cash transfers from the Federal Government, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, said yesterday.
He said one million citizens were reached in the last few weeks, while the target is to transfer cash to one million vulnerable Nigerians each month.
The minister spoke on a business programme of national television during which he outlined the Federal Government’s comprehensive plan to address the current economic challenges.
He said the government was expanding its cash transfer programme to support the poorest and most vulnerable.
The programme, he said, had reached 4.3 million people, with plans to increase this number rapidly.
“Right now, it’s about 4.3 million. But the last million was in the last few weeks. And when I say we’re ramping at a rate of 1 million per month, that is an ongoing process,” Edun said.
He projected that the programme could potentially scale to assist a million people per week or every two weeks, depending on technological capabilities.
Of great importance to the government, Edun said, is the welfare of the people, particularly the vulnerable.
One of the key areas of focus is ensuring food availability and affordability.
