By Our Correspondent

National News – The Federal Government has disbursed about N688 billion to over 9.2 million vulnerable Nigerians through the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Cash Transfer (HOPE-CT) Programme between November 2023 and February 2026, as part of efforts to cushion the impact of ongoing economic reforms.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Mohammed Doro, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday during an implementation update and press briefing on the cash transfer scheme.

According to the minister, the programme was introduced as a shock-response social protection initiative aimed at supporting low-income households affected by macroeconomic adjustments in Nigeria.

He explained that beneficiaries are entitled to N75,000 paid in three instalments of N25,000 each to help families meet essential needs such as food, healthcare, and education.

Doro stated that 9,178,837 households had already received the first N25,000 payment, while 7,203,579 beneficiaries had obtained the second tranche and 6,497,089 households had received the third tranche, with payments still ongoing across the country.

He added that the initiative relies on Nigeria’s National Social Register to identify vulnerable households, while beneficiaries must be verified using either a National Identification Number (NIN) or Bank Verification Number (BVN) to improve transparency and accountability.

Data presented at the briefing showed that women constitute the majority of beneficiaries, with 5,391,225 women (58.7%) receiving the support, compared with 3,787,612 men (41.3%).

The minister noted that empowering women strengthens families and communities because many are caregivers, entrepreneurs and community leaders.

The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said identity verification had enhanced transparency in the programme.

She revealed that 13.24 million records had been submitted for verification, out of which 11.83 million were successfully verified, while about 1.4 million failed due to inconsistencies that are being corrected.

Officials also confirmed that the HOPE-CT programme is financed through an $800 million facility from the World Bank’s International Development Association, with the target number of beneficiaries recently expanded from 10.4 million to 15 million vulnerable Nigerians nationwide.