Days to the Anambra governorship election, President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime has begun cash distribution to residents in the state.

In 2018, Mr Buhari’s regime exploited people’s poverty and widespread hunger distributing cash to residents days to the Osun governorship election, choosing the period to launch TraderMoni as it appeared the ruling APC might lose to PDP.

Mr Buhari’s regime, through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, announced it had resumed payment of the Conditional Cash Transfer to 15,768 vulnerable households in Anambra.

Ralph Enukorah, the Anambra State Cash Office, said the beneficiaries cut across 11 of the 21 local government areas.

Mr Enukorah disclosed that the payments started with six pilot local government areas considered poorest in the state, including Awka North, Anambra West, Dunukofia, Ihiala, Anyamelum and Orumba South.

He added that the government had extended cash distribution to Awka South, Onitsha North, Ogbaru, Nnewi North and Anambra East.

The unit head said the register of beneficiaries was generated by a sister organisation, the social operations coordinating unit, which goes to villages and wards to generate data on vulnerable households.

He said the payment was made every two months, with beneficiaries getting N10,000 in addition to any arrears for those not paid in previous months.

“The federal government is paying the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer, as a social intervention programme of the Buhari administration,” the official explained. “Every month, the poor and vulnerable households are paid N5,000, and in Anambra, we have a total of 15,768 beneficiaries spread across 11 local government areas.”

In the buildup to the Osun election, Mr Buhari’s regime launched the TraderMoni scheme, with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo spearheading the event.

Former education minister Oby Ezekwesili had accused the regime of corrupting the election via the TraderMoni launch in Osun.

“The federal government either failed to be ethically circumspect or, in fact, deliberately decided to corrupt the elections in Osun by handing out cash to traders just before the state elections,” Ms Ezekwesili had tweeted. “Such behaviour after the grand corrupting of voters in Ekiti is reprehensible.”

The APC went on to win the contentious election, initially declared inconclusive by INEC. Before the rerun, the PDP candidate Isiaka Adeleke was leading the poll. Gboyega Oyegbola of the APC was declared the eventual winner.

Regarding the resumed cash distribution, Bernard Nwobodo, the Payment Service Provided (PSP) representative, said the system was automated to reduce the stress of beneficiaries collecting the cash.

Mr Nwobodo added that the National Cash Transfer Office had begun digitalising the payment process allowing beneficiaries to use ATM cards to collect the cash.

He added that the process had been activated in some LGAs, including Ihiala, Awka North, Orumba South, and will be extended to others.

“When these cards are activated, the beneficiaries can access the money through the bank ATM and other financial services providers for easy withdrawal of their money upon verification,” he said.