The Federal Government has resumed the payment of Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) to  the poor and vulnerable households in Ondo State.

Tosin Olupona, Coordinator of CCT Programme in Ondo State, stated this in an interview on Tuesday in Akure.

The programme is one of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

Mrs Olupona said 3,828 households were captured in the first phase of the programme when it started in 2019, but 3767 were on  the schedule for payment from the national office.

She noted that the current payment captured six local governments of Akure North, Owo, IleOluji/Okeigbo, Ese-Odo and Ifedore.

The coordinator said the payments were done bi-monthly, and beneficiaries had earlier been paid twice, for the month of September-October, and November-December 2019.

She said the payment is actually N5,000 monthly, but “we pay N10,000 once every two months, and we are doing four payment cycles covering the months of January to August 2020, making N40,000 per beneficiary”.

“This programme commenced in Ondo State in 2019 and we had two payment cycles then, so we paid twice, for the month of September and October, November and December 2019 when it commenced.

“But due to operational issues, which were not fault of ours, the programme was put on hold.

“Now we are recommencing after a lot of efforts by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Intergovernmental Relations, Mrs Bunmi Ademosun, and Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.

“During the first batch, we enrolled 3828 households and now, we are paying 3767 out of that, that was the payment schedule from our national office.

“The targets are the poorest of the poor and it is meant to meet their nutritional needs, most of them cannot even feed, not to think of sending their children to school,” she said.

Mrs Olupona explained that the Social Operation Coordinating Unit (SOCU) identified the beneficiaries, while their responsibility was to ensure that they were paid when the money was available.

She noted that additional 8710 had been enrolled to cover the remaining 12 local governments that were not earlier captured in the programme.

She also appreciated the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, for her efforts on the programme to restart in the state.

One of the beneficiaries, Lydia Joel, said she was happy that the government remembered them with the payment of the money at her trying period.

Also, Felicia Aderemi appreciated the government for the money and prayed for more development in the country.

(NAN)