The Federal Government say it has paid two-months backlog of its Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) to over 74,000 beneficiaries in Kogi.
The Head of Kogi CCT Unit, Hajia Falilat Abdurasaq, disclosed this on Friday, at Mopo, Isanlu, Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi.
She said that the Federal Government recently introduced digital mode of payment of stipends to beneficiaries to replace the usual table payment.
The unit head added that in August, N20, 000 stipend was disbursed to over 74,000 beneficiaries in the state for January to April arrears.
She said the payment of N10, 000 to each beneficiary for May and June 2021 arrears had since commenced on Oct. 7, across the state.
She stressed that the essence of the cash transfer was to fulfill President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
Abdulrasaq said that digitalising the payment was a great relief to beneficiaries and CCT officials, considering the challenges encountered during table payment.
She said that the initiative was taken to mitigate the risk involved in carrying huge cash about.
Mr Stephen Mohammed, the Team Lead of Fortis Mobile Money, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the digital payment had come to stay.
"We are no longer test running the digital payment but it has come to stay; though beneficiaries seem not to understand, but we will not relent to keep educating them.
"We will keep educating the beneficiaries because of their level of understanding until they adapt to the system,” he said.
He said beneficiaries could now walk into any available Fortis agent or Point of Sales (POS) stand to cash out their stipends without any form of stress.
Mohammed said the company had developed an App, which would help beneficiaries to stay at the comfort of their homes and access the money in their wallet.
Mrs Lydia Babatege and Emiola Matthew, both beneficiaries from Isanlu, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for remembering the aged, poor and widows in the society.
Sefiyat Osagada, a Top-up beneficiary, who cashed out her stipend in Adavi, commended the Federal Government for the disbursement.
She said the top-up fund had helped her child to access healthcare services as well as completing the routine immunization.
