Payroll fund: Over 400,000 businesses applied – Office

Over 400,000 businesses have applied for the Payroll Support of the federal government’s Survival Fund Grant Scheme, the Project Delivery Office (PDO) has said.

The Project Coordinator of PDO and Special Assistant to the President on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Office of the Vice President, Mr Tola Johnson, said this yesterday in Abuja.

“As at the day the portal closed to applicants for Payroll Support Scheme, we had 432,000 businesses that applied. However, we have shortlisted 70,000 that qualify and meet the requirements. These businesses have uploaded over 400,000 staff for us to pay for three months,” Johnson said.

He noted that though the portal closed on 15th October, many states have not met their quota and there has been a plea for an extension.

“The Project Delivery Office, which I head, is taking this plea for extension to the Steering Committee headed by the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Mariam Katagum. To know whether to extend the date for online application into the payroll support scheme will be based on the data available to us.

“For everyone who is going to benefit from the Payroll Support and Artisan and Transport Scheme, we need their BVN numbers. We are not paying any association or business owner. We are paying the staff directly,” he also stated.