The Federal Government through its National Poverty Eradication Programme (Napep) has formally commenced disbursement of a whooping sum of N72million to 500 families identified as among the poorest in Oyo State, as part of efforts to eradicate abject poverty in the rural areas.
The disbursement which is under Napep’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) has been earmarked to be in stages for one-year duration just as the beneficiaries have been picked from ten local governments being used as pilot councils for the scheme in Oyo State. A total of 50 families are benefiting from each of the ten pilot Local Governments where the CCT, meant to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger among the populace in the next few years, is targeted at individuals and households in the rural areas.
Addressing beneficiaries in the Ibadan North East Local Government Area while presenting cheques to them during the occasion, Alhaji Bashir Ashimi, Oyo State Napep coordinator, said that a total of N250,000 would be disbursed to each beneficiary Local Government every month under the scheme to cater for the 50 selected families from the respective council area..
He explained that while every family registered under the scheme would take home N5,000 every month, another N7,000 was being set aside monthly for the beneficiaries under the poverty reduction index to acquire equipment after the year long training.
Alhaji Ashimi, however compelled the beneficiaries to enroll their children in school as well as ensure that they are effectively immunized against the killer diseases stressing that failure to do this may lead to their disqualification from the scheme.
To underscore his point, he noted that many people are on the waiting list and any beneficiary that fails to send their children to school and immunize them will forfeit their slot.
He stressed President Umar Musa Yar’Adua administration’s commitment to the success of the poverty eradication scheme, Alhaji Ashimi noted that Napep had alreeady selected 12 states including Oyo State from the six geo-political zones of the country for the pilot scheme. The ten Local Government Areas in Oyo State earmarked to benefit in the pilot phase of the CCTs, according to him, included Ibadan North East, Ibadan South West, Ona Ara, Ibarapa Central, Ogbomoso North, Oyo East, Iseyin, Saki West, Atiba and Atisbo.
Hon. Olugbenga Adewusi, chairman of Ibadan North East local government, commended Napep for the kind gesture and implored the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the money to cater for both educational and medical needs of their children.
Hon. Adewusi remarked that if the beneficiaries lived up to expectation, this would serve as inspiration to the Napep officials who brought the laudable programme to the local government area to put more efforts in eradicating poverty not only in the council but Oyo State in general.