By Kingsley Agim
The Cross River State Government has commenced the disbursement of N50,000 each to thousands of vulnerable residents across the state under Governor Bassey Otu’s social investment programme.
The State Coordinator of the Social Investment Programme, Dr Edem Okokon Effiom, disclosed this on Saturday in Calabar, stating that the payment exercise began about five days earlier and was still ongoing.
Effiom said the programme was designed to reach 150 beneficiaries in each of the state’s 196 wards, bringing the total number of prospective beneficiaries to approximately 29,400.
He explained that each ward’s allocation comprised 100 beneficiaries under the Conditional Cash Transfer component and 50 skilled persons who require financial assistance to establish their businesses or trades.
According to him, the intervention is designed to provide financial relief to vulnerable households while empowering skilled individuals who have the capacity to earn a living but lack the start-up capital to put their skills to productive use.
“Why we called you here is to let the whole world know that the long-awaited social investment impact of His Excellency, Senator Bassey Otu, has started taking effect,” he said.
The coordinator disclosed that the beneficiary register had been compiled since June, with deliberate efforts to accommodate people from different social and economic backgrounds in line with the governor’s directive to ensure inclusivity.
He said the selection process covered vulnerable members of religious and traditional institutions, women and youth groups, as well as other identifiable segments of society, noting that vulnerability cuts across all sections of the population.
“We segmented our beneficiaries into several segments. We talked about the church, the vulnerable members of our churches, and our traditional institutions, because vulnerability is not peculiar to any particular group; it is spread all over,” Effiom stated.
He explained that the media briefing was organised partly to address confusion arising from a similar cash transfer programme circulating on Facebook, which had prompted some residents to question the authenticity of the N50,000 payments.
“For clarification, those who have received their N50,000, it is coming from the Cross River State Government, courtesy of the benevolence of our governor, His Excellency, Senator Bassey Otu,” he clarified.
Effiom acknowledged that the beneficiary register was not yet exhaustive, explaining that the government had begun the process of developing a comprehensive database of vulnerable residents and others in genuine need of assistance.
He further disclosed that officials were working to resolve complaints from residents who were yet to receive their payments, with most of the challenges linked to discrepancies in bank account details and Bank Verification Numbers (BVN).
The coordinator assured affected beneficiaries that efforts were ongoing to address the issues and facilitate the payment of their entitlements. He added that the government remained committed to strengthening the programme and expanding its impact.
“Some may say it is small, but little by little, we are making progress. We are hoping that as the government proceeds, and as you all give us the necessary support, we will strengthen the social investment programme and definitely improve on it,” he added.
