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Nigerian Minister Nentawe Yilwatda claims politicians are pressuring to manipulate the cash transfer register for political gain. Stressing transparency, the government mandates NIN and BVN for digital transfers, with CSOs verifying payments. Out of 19.8 million on the social register, only 1.2 million are validated to ensure aid reaches the poorest households.

In a bold revelation that has sparked widespread concern, Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda, has accused certain politicians of attempting to manipulate the nation’s social register to benefit from the government’s conditional cash transfer program. The minister made the allegations during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Monday, emphasizing that his ministry would not yield to political pressure.

Yilwatda disclosed that some individuals are pushing for state governors to generate and submit lists of beneficiaries, bypassing the established criteria for the cash transfer program. “Some people want us to bend and allow the governors or the states to just generate the list and send,” he said. “But this is a conditional transfer; conditions are attached to qualifying for the social safety net. We will not bend to political affiliations or attachments.”

The minister stressed that poverty knows no political party, tribe, or social status. “A poor person is a poor person,” he asserted, underscoring the need for fairness and transparency in the distribution of aid.

To address concerns about accountability, Yilwatda announced that the government has suspended cash transfers temporarily and introduced stricter measures, including the mandatory use of National Identification Numbers (NIN) and Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) for all digital transactions. These steps, he explained, are aimed at ensuring transparency and preventing fraud.

“This time around, we are carrying civil society organizations (CSOs) along so that all payments can be verified,” Yilwatda said. “They will conduct follow-ups, and we will have a higher level of transparency in what we are doing.”

The minister also revealed that while 19.8 million Nigerians are currently listed on the social register, only 1.2 million have been validated so far. The validation process, which includes verifying beneficiaries’ locations and socioeconomic conditions, is critical to ensuring that aid reaches the most vulnerable.

“We need to validate the entire register to authenticate the identities of those who are supposed to benefit,” Yilwatda explained. “We must capture their GPS locations, confirm their living conditions, and ensure they meet the social indices for poverty, such as access to water, healthcare, education, and economic facilities.”

The government’s goal is to provide financial support to 15 million poor households, with each household receiving N75,000 as part of the social safety net program. However, the minister’s revelations have raised questions about the integrity of the process and the potential for political interference.

This is not the first time the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has been embroiled in controversy. The ministry, established by former President Muhammadu Buhari, has faced allegations of mismanagement and corruption in the past. Yilwatda’s predecessor, Betta Edu, was suspended and later removed from office following allegations of financial misconduct, while her predecessor, Sadiya Farouq, was investigated for allegedly laundering N37.1 billion.