Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The federal government has launched the Household Uplifting Programme Conditional Cash Transfer (HUP-CCT) by making cash payments to 23,893 beneficiaries in three Federal Capital Territory Area Councils.
The Area Councils are Abaji, Kwali and Kuje.
The programme is administered under the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) to deliver financial support to poor and vulnerable households nationwide. The HUP-CCT is one of the components of the National Social Safety Nets Project (NASSP) which is a partnership between the federal government and World Bank.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq said with flag off, payments would commence for all participating states in the country.
She said payment would be made bi-monthly to ensure transparency and accountability and also in compliance with the restriction on mass gathering due to the COVID-19.
To enhance the process the ministry has directed NCTO to proceed with migration of the beneficiaries from offline payment to online systems using accounts opened by licenced Payment Service Providers including commercial banks, microfinance banks, payment service banks and mobile money operators.
The beneficiaries can only access their accounts through Personal Identification Number (PIN) to enable them to perform all transactions like withdrawal, bank transfers and bill payment among others.
