The National Executive Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, has dumped the national social investment register used by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to disburse cash to some Nigerians.
The NEC, which had in attendance governors of the 36 states of the Federation, described the register as not credible.
Also present were the Director General of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and representatives of government agencies.
Tinubu’s government on Tuesday ordered the review of the N8,000 conditional cash transfer programme for 12 million poor households in Nigeria.
His administration had proposed to disburse N8,000 monthly each to 12 million poor households for six months as part of measures to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.
Following the removal of subsidy, the prices of petrol has risen to N617 per litre and above from around N200.
However, the move to pay N8,000 to each of 12 million poor Nigerian households has been heavily criticised by the public, with many querying how the government intends to generate a list of the poorest or most vulnerable households. Also, such disbursements made in the past by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari were dogged by massive corruption and lack of transparency.
During its meeting at the Council Chambers of the State House in Abuja on Thursday, NEC decided that cash transfers would be done using state social registers.
It identified that states are different from one another and therefore have different peculiarities.
It also resolved that food items and fertilisers will be distributed by state governments at the rate acquired from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
