The Kwara Amazons are worthy ambassadors of the conditional cash transfer scheme, writes Josiah Nkemdirim
In many a Nigerian family, the women have been in the vanguard of promoting the education of the children. More than most men, it is the women who are preoccupied with mentoring the children to acquire life-long skills and visions, such as would guarantee self-fulfilment and progress.
Recently, as the story goes, some selfless women in Kwara State, rather than lavish their receipts from the federal government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), on personal gratification such as clothing and perfumery, chose to invest in the education of their children. For a graphic illustration of the noble action of the women, it is apposite to reproduce a twitter post credited to Kwara State Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman. His words:
“Since 2017, a group of 25 women in Agidingbi and Onila communities in Irepodun LGA have been contributing money to build their communities’ schools because they never had one. I visited the communities today…”.
Continuing, the Governor tweeted: “I’m really inspired by the actions of these women. They have, over the years, taken a fraction of the money they received from the federal government’s Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme and contributed it to building schools in their own communities.
“This is a testament that President Muhammadu Buhari’s social investment programmes are working and impacting lives”.
What these Amazons of Agidingbi and Onila have done will continue to resonate among many communities not because it is trail-blazing but for the sheer patriotism and sense of responsibility, at a time when many people are preoccupied with lascivious and epicurean lifestyles. Who says that they could not have simply folded their hands while waiting for the government to “do something”?
The action of the Kwara Amazons reminds me of the communities in Igbo land, South East Nigeria who, at the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970, tasked themselves, through thrifts and various levies, to either rebuild schools that were destroyed during the war or indeed, build new ones from the scratch. Till date, those schools stand out, many aptly named “Community Secondary School”, as a lasting tribute to the ‘never say die’, ‘can do’ spirit of the Igbo race. The great women of Kwara State, through their edifying educational project, remind us of that post-war effort in Igbo land.
In celebrating the women of Agidingbi and Onila in the Irepodun LGA of Kwara State, we are also celebrating the Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme of the federal government which provided the pedestal for the savings. In the nature of things, it will not be surprising if non-beneficiaries are not aware of the scheme. Admittedly, there are also people who would only be interested in whatever shortcomings that may be recorded in the course of prosecuting the scheme. But if the message and legacy of the women of Agidingbi and Onila are anything to go by, the Conditional Cash Transfer, could stand out as one of the enduring legacies of the Buhari Administration.
The National Cash Transfer Programme which involves the release of a monthly stipend of N5, 000, to the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerian households, mostly in rural communities, was introduced by the federal government in 2016, in partnership with the World Bank. The primary objective, as stated in the Ministry’s portal, is to fortify social safety nets and establish a social protection system in Nigeria. The Ifelodun LGA Amazons are part of the 7, 069, 629 individual members of the 1, 414, 983 households that have benefitted from the programme in 37, 628 communities of 4, 716 Wards, from 487 LGAs of 33 states of the Federation.
Paradoxically while the salutary impact of the CCT, as demonstrated by the Kwara Amazons is trending, questions are being raised over the transparency of the CCT. In fact, the same skepticism applies to the entire Social Investment Programme of the federal government. Of course, the people deserve to know how public funds are being utilized. That they are asking questions can be attributed to a number of factors. First, for the most part, the target of the CCT, the poorest of the poor, the hoi polloi, are not media favourites like politicians and celebrities, among whom are high profile criminals. Who would have known about the Kwara Amazons but for the professionalism of Channels Television? Yet, if we dig deep, we will find many Amazons of the Kwara type, who are doing great things, impacting lives and setting high moral codes, in different parts of the country.
Second, there appears to be some dissonance between the states and the federal government, regarding the CCT programme. Either the states are lethargic or they are being politically mischievous by not acknowledging the effort of the federal government towards an inclusive empowerment process that captures the less privileged.
Third, it goes without saying that if you do not blow your trumpet, no one else is going to blow it for you. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs will be surprised to know that not many members of the public are aware that the database for the Poor and Vulnerable Households (PVHHs) is generated at the state level and domiciled at the State Ministries of Planning. Nor are they aware that the federal government had signed MOUs with all the states of the Federation when the programme started in September 2016; that is, three clear years before she became a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In other words, though this is a Buhari Administration Initiative, state governments should take ownership of it and raise red flags if their people are being short-changed. Stretched further, it simply means that responsibility for this programme should be shared between the federal and state governments.
Admitted that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, established less than two years ago could be experiencing some “teething problems”, the share magnitude of its responsibilities demands the establishment of a communications strategy that treats the beneficiaries of its many humanitarian and social investment programmes, not just as numbers but indeed, as active players in the developmental process. That is precisely the statement that the Kwara Amazons have made. Today, it is possible to put a face or faces to their effort. Had it not been for the visit of the Kwara State Governor, the fact that these women had all along received the stipend would not have been known. And it is just possible that not all of them, like their compatriots elsewhere, receive their stipend electronically since many of the targeted beneficiaries of the CCT dwell in rural areas typically lacking banking and telecom facilities.
Incidentally, the very laudable N-Power programme of the federal government, has suffered the same fate: despite the fact that the programme has been re-invigorated through its adroit management by the zestful Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, public cynicism is likely to remain high until a conscious searchlight is beamed on the over 1000 disengaged beneficiaries who have successfully transited as entrepreneurs, in their own right. While this could be regarded as a drop in the vast entrepreneurial canvass, it is nonetheless a significant watershed towards stimulating and sustaining a culture of self-employment and entrepreneurship. Besides, it goes to reinforce the fact that, as a social safety net, the N-Power programme has reduced the number of youths who would otherwise have been available for recruitment by criminal gangs.
Sadiya Farouq owes the Kwara Amazons some gratitude and incentive for serving as worthy ambassadors of the CCT; for providing empirical evidence of the positive impact of the Social Investment Programme of the federal government. If any individuals or groups deserve national recognition, honours or awards, these are the ones. And, I so, move!
Nkemdirim, a media analyist and social critic, wrote in from Abuja
