FG Disburses Over N600bn Cash Transfers To 10m Households In 3 Years – Minister

The *Federal Government* has disbursed more than *N600 billion* in cash transfers to over *10 million households* nationwide in the three years since *President Bola Tinubu* assumed office, *Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Bernard Doro*, has said.

Doro disclosed this on *Wednesday* during an interview on _Politics Today_, a Channels Television programme.

He said the programme was designed to support poor and vulnerable households and improve their living conditions. Based on an average household size of four, he noted that the 10 million households could translate to about *40 million beneficiaries*.

_“We have done over N600 billion in cash transfers to be able to support vulnerable Nigerians within three years,”_ Doro said.

The minister said the government had also launched a vocational skills programme that trained more than *18,000 people* and provided them with starter kits and stipends.

According to him, beneficiaries also received additional training in business management and accounting to help them establish and manage businesses.

Doro added that the government was supporting farmers through a separate intervention aimed at improving livelihoods and reducing poverty.

*”N25,000 Makes A Difference To The Poor”*

Defending the impact of the cash-transfer programme, he said even the *N25,000* paid to beneficiaries could make a significant difference to the poorest households.

_“N25,000 can look very small to elites, but not to the poorest of the poor,”_ he said.

The minister said his ministry’s mandate was to translate improvements in the broader economy into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.

_“My job is to translate macroeconomic gains to the micro level, and you can see the traction,”_ he said.

Doro also said the government was monitoring the risk of food insecurity in northern Nigeria following projections that more than *70 million people* across nine conflict-affected states could face acute food insecurity.

He, however, stressed that the figures were projections and did not necessarily mean all those identified would experience food insecurity.

The minister added that the government had recently implemented a *presidential intervention on food and nutrition* across *10 northern states* and would continue to monitor the situation and intervene where necessary.