Solomon Ayado, Lafia
The Federal Government has announced the reinstatement of 48,000 beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme who were suspended in Nasarawa State, about two years ago.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq made the announcement during a meeting with Governor Abdullahi Sule.
This was contained in a statement issued by Ibrahim Addra, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and made available to newsmen in Lafia on Saturday.
Specifically, it said the Minister directed that the suspension of Nasarawa State from the Conditional Cash Transfer programme be lifted immediately.
According to Umar, additional indigent citizens of the state will be registered in the cash programme to foster economic growth.
The reinstated beneficiaries were, alongside the State Operations Coordinating Unit, SOCU, sacked on 5th of August, 2020 following an allegation of fraud.
The alleged fraud was reportedly committed by the officials of the financial program in some Local Government Areas of the state which were unravelled in 2018.
It was learnt that Governor Abdullahi Sule had quickly constituted an investigative panel chaired by a former Secretary to the State Government, Mr Timothy Anjide, in August 2020 to probe the matter.
However, the minister while reinstating the beneficiaries assured that “the cash transfer intervention programme in Nasarawa State is soon to be expanded to cover more local government areas other than the original six.”