The Ogun State Government has said the disbursement of N5,000 by the federal government is meant to help poor graduates and other indigents out of poverty.

“It is basically to help the poor graduate from poverty, prevent the poor and the vulnerable from sinking further into poverty and build resilience to withstand shock and risks,” the state’s Commissioner for Special Duties Femi Ogunbanwo said at the flag-off of the federal government’s Conditional Cash Transfer programme in Ogun on Friday.

A total of 9,593 people drawn from six local governments of the state would benefit from the gesture, the commissioner stated.

Mr Ogunbanwo said that the Household Uplifting Programme (HUP) was introduced by the federal government in 2016 to fortify the social safety net.

“The programme, HUP-CCT, is being coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development,” he noted.

The asked the beneficiary to be grateful to Governor Dapo Abiodun for embracing the scheme unlike the previous administration who didn’t enrol Ogun citizens.

“Today’s flag-off of HUP-CCT would not have been possible in the state if the governor had not been magnanimous enough to embrace the programme.

“This programme had started in other states in 2016 but the previous administrations in the state did not take steps to ensure that our people benefited from it,” he said.

In her remarks, Head, State Cash Transfer Unit, HUP-CCT, Olufunmilayo Soyoye-Baker, asked the beneficiaries to drop their phone numbers or account details, saying that subsequent disbursements will be digital.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Sufiana Idowu, commended the state and the federal governments for the gesture.

Idowu, who is a farmer, urged the federal government to ensure that the payment was consistent so as to lift the beneficiaries out of poverty.

(NAN)