The Federal Government has reached six million Nigerians in just six months through its Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, according to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.
Speaking in Jos on Thursday at the Skills-to-Wealth (S2W) Training Programme, Yilwatda stated that the ministry is now reaching about one million people monthly—an unprecedented expansion compared to previous years.
“In the past, only two million Nigerians benefited from the programme over nine years. That’s about 200,000 people per year. Today, we are doing one million people each month,” he said.
Yilwatda revealed that the administration is targeting 15 million households by October 2025, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to fast-track support to vulnerable Nigerians.
Digital Overhaul of Social Register
To improve transparency and efficiency, the Minister announced that the federal government is digitising the national social register.
“We are creating digital identities and e-wallet accounts for registered households, along with physical verification to ensure credibility,” Yilwatda said.
He disclosed that names with discrepancies or unverifiable information have been removed from the register.
The ministry also engaged the World Bank to independently verify the disbursement process. “After reaching four million people, we requested a verification exercise. The World Bank found that 96% of the beneficiaries were physically traceable and confirmed on the social register,” he added.
The remaining 4% could not be verified due to displacement from insecurity or residence in hard-to-reach areas.
Skills-to-Wealth (S2W) Programme
Yilwatda also highlighted the ministry’s Skills-to-Wealth initiative, which is training Nigerian youths in agriculture, renewable energy, and automobile technology. The programme aims to create self-sustaining livelihoods and reduce poverty through practical skills.
The Bigger Picture
The World Bank’s April 2025 Africa’s Pulse report reveals that Nigeria is home to 19% of sub-Saharan Africa’s extremely poor population—amounting to over 106 million people. This means nearly 1 in 7 of the world’s poorest individuals live in Nigeria.
The CCT programme, launched in September 2016, is part of the federal government’s broader effort to alleviate poverty in Africa’s largest economy.
