Gov. Bababjide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Thursday revealed that no fewer than 11,000 vulnerable households were benefiting from the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) initiative, designed to ameliorate poverty in the state.

Sanwo-Olu made this known at a event in Ikeja, tagged – ”Mr Governor’s Interactive Session With Beneficiaries Of National Social Investment Programme In Lagos State”, organised by the state’s Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.

He said that the government started implementing the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme in April 2020, amidst COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable residents in Lagos State.

”Presently, 11,000 households across 12 LGAs/LCDAs have been enrolled under the CCT programme, which would be cascaded to the remaining LGAs/LCDAs.

“It is an indisputable fact that this Social Investment Programme comprising the Conditional Cash Transfer, Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (Trademoni, Marketmoni and Farmermoni), National Home Grown School Feeding and the N-Power Programme, has continued to make positive impact in the lives of the beneficiaries and the economy across the country.

“For instance, the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme is a perfect example of how the implementation of one policy designed to achieve a specific goal, can have a multiplier effect on other sectors of the economy.

“This programme has created opportunities in the chain of service providers including farmers and caterers, who are actively engaged to ensure steady supply of nutritive diet to our pupils,” the governor said.

He promised to continue to collaborate with the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that residents of Lagos state received a fair share of these Social Intervention Programmes.

In her remarks, Hajia Galina Shehu, the National Director, Directorate of Social and Humanitarian Service, Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), said that the cash grants came up for the first time in the history of Nigeria to tackle poverty.

Shehu said that since 1960, there had been no administration that had ever touched the lives of the grassroot like the administration of the APC government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

”It is part of his mandate, to at least uplift over 100 million Nigerians out of poverty. To some extent, the National Social Investment Programme has at least touched the lives of about 50 million Nigerians,” she said.

In her welcome address, the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mrs Yetunde Arobieke, said that the programme was the result of the great humanitarian strides and efforts of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Arobieke said that the programme was implemented due to Gov Sanwo-Olu’s compassionate heart towards the downtrodden, vulnerable and indigent residents of the state.

She said that the Social Investment Programmes were initially under the Office of the Vice-President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), but were moved to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in 2019 following the creation of the ministry.

According to her, the programmes are being implemented by the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

”For the first time in the history of Nigeria, over two million unemployed youth were engaged by the Federal Government for a period of two years.

“While in Lagos, over 500,000 beneficiaries benefitted with varying amounts of monthly stipends,” Arobieka said.