Hajiya Halima Shehu, the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), has reiterated the agency's commitment to upholding accountability and transparency in the execution of the $800 million World Bank Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) initiative. She made this affirmation during a press briefing in Abuja, where she provided an update on NSIPA's role in poverty alleviation under President Bola Tibubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’.

Shehu emphasized that the CCT program is specifically tailored for the most impoverished individuals in Nigeria, including the Almajiri and out-of-school children, as part of the National Home-Grown School Feeding initiative. She clarified that the project is fully funded by the World Bank and is presently operating with an $800 million budget.

The National Coordinator explained that beneficiaries are being identified through a National Social Register compiled from the social registers of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). She stressed that the National Social Register comprises individuals from both rural and urban poor backgrounds, and the selection of beneficiaries is conducted by the National Cash Transfer Office, independent of any political influence.

Shehu highlighted the digitalization of the CCT scheme, noting that each enrollee on the social register possesses a bank account. Furthermore, plans are in place to assign National Identity Numbers (NIN) to all beneficiaries to enhance transparency and accountability.

She also mentioned that the NSIPA Act was signed into law in May 2023, empowering the agency to aid and uplift numerous Nigerians out of poverty. She outlined various poverty alleviation programs under the agency, including the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the National Home-Grown School Feeding program, and the Unconditional Cash Transfer Programme, among others.

She emphasized that through harmonization, the agency aims to accelerate economic development and enhance the living standards of those at the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder in Nigeria.

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