The Federal Government has announced a special grant of N25,000 each to improve the lives of vulnerable pensioners in the country.
The grant, will be disbursed under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Scheme of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The Minister, Dr Betta Edu, announced this when she met with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC), led by its President, Mr Joe Ajaero in Abuja.
“President Bola Tinubu mentioned very clearly that vulnerable pensioners should be immediately captured on the National social Register and benefit from the CCT.
“As part of social safety net, this was made clear in his speech on Independence Day where he committed 25000 Naira for 15million household for three months”, she said.
Edu informed the leadership of labour union that the desire to expand the national social register to include vulnerable pensioners in the CCT scheme was encapsulated in the renewed hope agenda.
She therefore appealed to the NLC to help fast-track the process of collating Data of would-be vulnerable pensioners beneficiaries so that they can start receiving CCT.
“I want us to fast-track this, so that we are sure the expected beneficiaries can start receiving their stipends from next month which is November” Edu said.
The minister commended Ajaero for being a team player.
According to her, the task of moving Nigeria forward was a collective one.
She therefore urged NLC leadership to continue to have faith in the Tinubu Administration.
In his response, Ajaero expressed delight at the various poverty alleviation and job creation schemes rolled out by the Humanitarian Ministry.
The labour leader however said, identifying the root cause of poverty would go a long way in addressing the challenge in the country.
“Let’s look at not only how to solve this problem, but the cause of the problem, Let us look at other social welfare interventions and job creation that will go a long way to support families” he said.
He urged the federal government to create more productive economy by creating more Jobs to ensure prosperous nation.
Ajaero thanked the Minister for being the first member of the federal executive council to visit the labour house in President Tinubu’s Administration.
”For finding time to visit the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, we will work with you to achieve success in this process and your impact will be felt” Ajaero said.
Also speaking, President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Mr Godwin Abumisi, thanked the federal government for finding the retirees worthy of government social intervention programme.
According to him, Pensioners recieved as low as between five and ten thousand Naira a month.
”Twenty five thousand Naira is a big money to them”, Abumisi said. (NAN)
