FG’s Cash Transfer: Zamfara Decries Non-payment Of 185,000 Beneficiaries

Zamfara Unit Office of the Federal Government Cash Transfer Programme on Thursday decried non-release of payment to over 185,000 beneficiaries in the state.

Mr Sani Marafa, Head of the unit, made the disclosure at a 3-day step down orientation training for additional local government facilitators of the programme in Gusau.

“Our beneficiaries are doubting whether the programme is true or not.

“So far, we have over 185,000 beneficiries of this programme from Six local government areas of the state.

“All of them have been captured successfully, they are only waiting for the payment.

“Unfortunately, the payment service providers are yet to commence the disbursement of the funds to the beneficiaries in the state.

“We are aware that the federal government has released the money for payment to the beneficiaries since the last two months but the beneficiaries in Zamfara are yet to receive their disbursement,” Marafa said.

He appealed to both Zamfara and the Federal Governments to intervene so that the beneficiaries could access the funds.

The state Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Alhaji Muhammad Umar thanked the federal government for initiating the programme.

Umar said that the programme came at the right time considering the overwhelming rate of  poverty among the people.

“You know, in Zamfara, we have various casualities of security challenges, we have many people in the rural areas under the poverty line.

“I am sure the way the programme was designed and the kind of personalities involved, l believe it will reach the target beneficiaries,” Umar said.

He assured of the state government’s commitment to support the programme.

“I know the efforts that Gov. Bello Matawalle is making to secure the state, and apart from this, he is also passionately interested in human development,” he said.

Umar promised that the association would donate utility vehicles to the state Cash Transfer Office.

Earlier, the National Gender and Safeguard Officer of the Programme, Mrs Fxentirimam Jauro said the training was aimed at making the facilitators know their responsibilities.

Jauro said that 163 facilitators from the six benefiting local government areas in the state were attending the training.

She urged the facilitators to take the training seriously in order to ensure effective discharge of their responsibilities.

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NAN