Mrs Falilat Abdulrazaq, the Head of Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Unit in Kogi, said on Wednesday that no fewer than 33, 348 indigent households had benefited from the Federal Government’s CCT under its Household Uplifting Programme (HUP).
Abdulrazaq disclosed this at a three-day ”Savings and Group Mobilisation (SGM) Step-down Training”, organised for 76 newly-selected Cash Transfer Facilitators (CTFs).
They were selected from seven out of the 21 local government areas of Kogi.
She said that additional data of 21, 892 new CT beneficiaries had been added to the existing 11, 456 to make a total of 33, 348 beneficiaries across the 21 local government areas of the state.
”As you are all aware, the CCT programme is already covering all the 21 local government areas of Kogi, in which 11, 456 beneficiaries received N10, 000 from the federal government every two-months.
”But due to the additional data, a total of 33, 348 CT beneficiaries across the 21 local government areas of Kogi will now be paid N10, 000 this month for both September and October bimonthly payments.
”The essence of bimonthly payment is to make the money to be substantial for the beneficiaries.
”This implies that we will need more hands at the local government level, so this training that is being conducted today is for the newly-selected CTFs from seven local government areas that will be added to the existing CTFs,”she said.
According to her, the seven additional local government areas are: Okene, Adavi, Kabba/Bunu, Lokoja, Dekina, Ofu and Ibaji.
She said the training, tagged: ”SGM” training, was designed to improve CT beneficiaries’ knowledge and skills in saving and group mobilisation, as well as group formation and management.
She said the aim was for the beneficiaries to understand the importance and processes of savings; adopt positive attitude for saving culture; and mobilise their economic assets to improve their economic status.
”The CTFs are being trained to go back to their communities and cascade the acquired knowledge and skills to the beneficiaries at their various wards,” she said.
Abdulrazaq commended the support the unit had been receiving from the State and Local governments, while appealing for more support especially from the local governments.
She enjoined the CTFs to go back to their various communities and play their roles, while warning them against extorting money from the beneficiaries.
She, however, advised the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the money, saying it was not meant for frivolities but for their households toward improving their lives.
One of the Master Trainers, Mr Peter Popoola, said the training would help the beneficiaries to develop and expand their existing businesses for their household benefits so as to sustain their existing livelihood.
”We are impressed by the responses we are getting from the trainees for the three-day training,” he said.
Some of the CTFs, Mr Mohammed Abdullahi, Mr Ojo Sunday and Mrs Salamat Yahaya, from Dekina, Kabba/Bunu and Okene LGAs respectively, said that they had acquired knowledge and skills in course of the training to be able to cascade same to the beneficiaries at the grassroots. (NAN)
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