The National Economic Council has proposed that State Governments should implement cash transfer programmes using state-generated social registers, to cushion the harsh economic realities being experienced by Nigerians as a result of fuel price increase
This is different from the National Social Register, which, as of 2023, has captured over 61 million vulnerable Nigerians eligible for various government social programmes.
The NEC has also proposed that the implementation would be based on the individual capacity and priority of various states.
Governor of Anambra, Prof. Charles Soludo revealed this to State House Correspondents after Thursday’s National Economic Council meeting held Chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
He said state governments with outstanding salaries and allowances to pay must prioritise clearing the backlog instead of implementing cash transfers.
Soludo explained, “There is quite some fiscal surplus that will be coming to the states, local governments, and federal government.
“And we’ve suggested that it will be nice that you can implement cash transfers, subject to your financial capacity.
“Some might be able to do one; some might be able to do 10; some might be able to do 20, as the case may be. It depends on their capacity”.
“There may be states that are not even able to do that now”.
“For example, if you have a state where salary arrears workers have been owed for three years or four years, the priority now is to start paying down some of the salary arrears or where pensioners have been owed their pension and gratuity for several years.
With this development, retired civil servants who have almost lost hope in getting their gratuities will soon smile.
