Some Beneficiaries Have Never Seen ₦5,000 Before – Sadiya Farouq Defends Govt Cash Transfer Policy

The Minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management, and social development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq says the ₦5,000 conditional cash transfer by the Muhammadu Buhari government to some Nigerians is significant to their welfare and wellbeing.

She submitted that the fact that some people don’t see the money as important does not mean the beneficiaries don’t appreciate it.

According to her, some of the beneficiaries are so poor that they have never seen ₦5,000 before and shed tears when the money is given to them.

The Minister made the submission on Thursday while speaking with State House correspondents during a press briefing organized by the presidential media team.

She said the cash transfer is part of the plans by the Muhammadu Buhari administration to lift 100 million Nigerians from extreme poverty.

In her words, “If you look at the people that you are taking this intervention to, ₦5,000 means a lot to them because these are poor and vulnerable households and it changes their status, but for you and me, ₦5,000 is not even enough for us to buy recharge card, that’s the difference.

“But for these poor people in the communities, you have seen, they were able to save out of that ₦5,000.

“When people say N5000 does not save people, that is an elitist statement, honestly because we’ve had causes to go to the field, and we have seen these people that when you give them this ₦5,000, they cried and shed tears because they’ve never seen ₦5,000 it in their lives.

“So, it goes a long way, it changes their status and by that, it lifts them from one stage to another.”