Conditional Cash Transfer: FG to Facilitate the use of mobile phones

The Federal Government is set to facilitate the use of mobile phones of Nigerians in the transfer of the 15 million households’ conditional cash transfer program.

This was disclosed in the “quick win” recommendations submitted to the President by the Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee chaired by Taiwo Oyedele.

Recall last week that the Presidency unveiled the plan to distribute N75,000 cash transfer to 15 million households as part of its efforts to ameliorate the effect of the removal of subsidy.

The president made this announcement in Abuja, stating that the objective is to lift as many families as possible out of poverty.

Subsequently, the Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, led by Taiwo Oyedele, has recommended that the government engage in the use of citizens’ mobile phones to validate and ease the transfer of funds.

While it is not explicitly stipulated how this process will be accomplished, the report states that a national portal will also be designed to track spending by the federal, state, and local governments.

Writing on his X (Twitter), Taiwo Oyedele said,

In addition, the federal government is said to suspend multiple taxation, particularly in the informal sector, impeding the growth of small businesses in the country.

Subsequently, the President has ordered that the “quick win” recommendations be immediately implemented across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government.

In a press release issued after meeting the committee, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, conveyed that the President had instructed his Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, to coordinate with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Oyedele to implement the directive.

He emphasized the importance of a seamless and synchronized implementation process by instructing that the recommendations be fully incorporated across government institutions.

Furthermore, he revealed that the President committed to prioritizing the presentation of these recommendations during the next Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting scheduled for the upcoming Monday.