News
JUST IN: Jubilation as FG Plans to restart direct cash transfers to 15 million households
The Federal Government has concluded plans to restart the direct cash transfer to the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians.
This is coming in the face of hardship faced by millions of Nigerians with escalating prices of goods and food items as well as the continuous fall of the naira.
With about 3 million Nigerians benefitting from these programmes, the federal government projects that an additional 12 million people, households can benefit from these direct payments, due to the sharp rise in the cost of living, bringing the total to about 15 million households.
This was made known by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, during a retreat of the ministry on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Presidential panel to recommend restart of direct cash payments
Edun said that the presidential panel on the social investment programmes are set to meet with President Bola Tinubu and recommend the restart of the direct cash payments to the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians.
He said, “The presidential panel on the social investment programmes, have prepared to go to Mr. President with an internal recommendation to restart the direct payments to the poorest and the most vulnerable. Everything is being done to ease the pain.
“We know that there’s been about 3 million beneficiaries now, but given the way the rates have gone, there are probably another 12 million people, households that can benefit from that payment.”
The minister noted that the expansion of the direct cash transfer aims to reach a wider population struggling with the economic situation and to put more money directly in the hands of those who need it most, allowing them to prioritize their needs and alleviate poverty.
He stated that the decision to inform the President of the Panel’s decision before the final report is completed is to keep the President abreast of developments, adding that technology will be used to ensure smooth and transparent payments, avoiding manual processes and delays.
The minister aid: “The only thing delaying that is not waiting for the end of the report. It is something that the intervention is meant to happen immediately.
“We have experts in technology, the commitment was to make sure that we use technology to ensure that we have a seamless payment, a seamless movement between the registered and the direct beneficiaries, without any manual processes in between. So it’s taking time to automate that process immediately that direct payment will resume”.
More to follow…
Three people were rescued and taken to the hospital after a two-storey building under construction collapsed in the Mushin area of Lagos on Sunday.
The incident occurred at about 3:50 p.m. at Ishaga Road, directly opposite the Central Mosque in Idi Araba.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the collapse in a statement made available to journalists.
According to Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, the NEMA Coordinator for the Lagos Territorial Office, emergency response teams were swiftly mobilised to the scene, where ongoing rescue operations were launched.
“Two people have been rescued and taken to the hospital for treatment.
Operations are still ongoing,” Farinloye initially said, adding that further updates would be provided as more information becomes available.
He later added that another person was rescued at 6.35 pm. The cause of the collapse has not yet been officially determined, but the incident adds to a string of structural failures that have plagued Lagos in recent years, often attributed to poor regulatory oversight, substandard materials, and disregard for approved building plans.
News
President Tinubu’s Moment with Pope Leo XIV
The US pontiff shook hands with several world leaders in St Peter’s Square after the inauguration mass on Sunday.
• President Bola Tinubu exchanging pleasantries with Pope Leo XIV at the installation mass for the new Pope in Rome on Sunday. Photo: State House.
President Bola Tinubu exchanging pleasantries with Pope Leo XIV at the installation mass for the new Pope in Rome on Sunday. Photo: State House.
President Bola Tinubu shook hands with the newly installed Bishop of Rome and the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, on Sunday.
The US pontiff shook hands with several world leaders in St Peter’s Square after the inauguration mass on Sunday.
While shaking hands with the Pope, Tinubu had a brief conversation with him before moving away.
Other world leaders who shook hands with the Pope include US Vice President J.D Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among others.
News
Maritime Journalists Association Withdraws from Merger Talks
“AMJON believes that creating a single, strong, and indissoluble maritime journalists’ association can only be achieved if all eight associations dissolve their individual structures and fuse into one united body,” said Kagbare.
The Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) has announced its withdrawal from ongoing merger talks with seven other maritime media associations.
In a statement signed by the President, Kelvin Kagbare, AMJON cited the other associations’ refusal to dissolve their individual bodies and merge into a single, united association as the reason for its withdrawal.
“AMJON believes that creating a single, strong, and indissoluble maritime journalists’ association can only be achieved if all eight associations dissolve their individual structures and fuse into one united body,” said Kagbare.
The other seven associations have proposed a confederacy model, which would allow them to retain their individual associations while coming together under a new name and structure.
AMJON rejects this approach, describing it as a “deception” and a “creation of another association in disguise.”
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