Government has started the distribution of over 23,000 loaded debit cards to vulnerable families in Ogun State to improve their livelihoods and ameliorate their conditions under harsh economic realities.
Each beneficiary will get N75,000 cash from the Federal Government’s Social Protection Programmes, known as Household Prosperity and Empowerment – Cash Transfer (HoPE-CT) which cuts across the nation.
The loaded debit cards allotted to Ogun State for distribution to beneficiaries culled from the National Social Register is already in the state and it’s now being distributed to the beneficiaries in the 20 local governments in the state.
Speaking during the distribution exercise at Odeda Local Government Area, the State Programme Manager, State Cash Transfer Unit, Mr. Damilola Owoojuona, said the exercise would be conducted across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State, to provide direct financial support to thousands of eligible households mined from the National Social Register.
The State Programme Manager explained that the initiative was a Federal Government grant which would be in 3 tranches of Twenty-Five Thousand Naira (₦25,000) per tranche, totalling Seventy-Five Thousand Naira (₦75,000) per household.
He reaffirmed the commitment to work closely with the Federal Government to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries receive the support in a transparent and accountable manner through NIN biometric verification.
“The distribution of the additional 23,000 Debit Cards follows earlier phases of the HoPE-CT programme in Ogun State and 1,281 cards were meant for distribution in the exercise at Odeda Local Government Area and this underscores government’s determination to ensure that more households benefit from the initiative,” Mr. Owoojuna submitted.
He advised the beneficiaries to safeguard their Debit Cards and comply with the programme guidelines.
Reacting on behalf of the beneficiaries, the trio of Mr. Lukmon Sofela, Mrs. Ojedeyi Serifat and Mrs. Olabode Elizabeth, expressed appreciation for the intervention and promised to make judicious use of the fund for their households.
