...As Government Moves to Empower Displaced Persons - The Alternative News

The Federal Government says it has disbursed more than ₦300 billion to 8.1 million households across the country under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme.

The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a roundtable marking the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Sununu said the initiative, implemented through the National Social Investment Agency (NSIA), aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at reducing poverty and strengthening household resilience.

 “As of today, in terms of conditional cash transfer, over 8.1 million households in Nigeria have been reached with a total sum of over ₦300 billion,” the minister stated.

“This has improved their capacity, health, and education, and the process will continue.”

He further revealed that the Federal Government is set to support 21,000 Nigerians affected by flood disasters with interest-free loans totalling ₦6.3 billion.

 “We are planning, at both national and state levels, to roll out in the coming weeks a free, interest-free, and collateral-free loan of over ₦300,000 each to 21,000 Nigerians. This is to help farmers and mitigate the impact of flooding across the country,” he said.

Dr. Sununu also outlined efforts to empower internally displaced persons (IDPs) through agricultural programmes designed to create sustainable livelihoods.

 “We have initiated a programme in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to enhance food security among displaced persons. Under the arrangement, 30% of farm produce will go directly to the IDPs, while the government will off-take 70% and pay participants the cash equivalent,” he explained.

Speaking earlier, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, said Nigeria continues to face an increasing frequency of disasters driven by climate change, conflicts, pandemics, and technological risks.

She stressed the need for a proactive and well-financed disaster risk management system, moving away from a reactive approach to one centred on prevention and preparedness.

 “We must rethink how we fund resilience, from ad-hoc disaster response to multi-stakeholder financing that supports prevention, preparedness, and sustainable recovery,” she said.

Umar announced the launch of two key policy instruments — the NEMA Strategic Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030), both aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness, institutional collaboration, and innovation in risk financing.

The event was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, lawmakers, and international development partners.