COVID19: Conditional Cash Transfer not Palliative -CHRICED

The Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has observed that Conditional Cash Transfer is different from COVID19 palliative and cautioned against mixup.

The Executive Director of the center, Comrade Dr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi in a press statement made available to The Nigerian Voice today said the Conditional Cash Transfer should not be mistaken for COVID19 palliative because they are separate items.

Zikirullahi said any attempt to term the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme as palliative would amount to misinformation and misrepresentation

According to him, "The various shades of misinformation and misrepresentation convey the impression that the CCT is the same as the COVID-19 palliatives. As such, the gaps and inadequacies in the COVID-19 palliative distribution are being used to demonise the CCT, especially by political actors."

"As the lead organisation monitoring the CCT in the Northwest geo-political zone, CHRICED deems it necessary to set the records straight by making it clear that the CCT programme is absolutely different from the Federal Government COVID-19 palliatives. The two should not be mixed up or misconstrued."

"With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the not-so-impressive manner the distribution of government palliatives have been handled, a number of commentators have conveyed the impression that the CCT is the same as COVID-19 palliatives."

"This misinformation has led to erroneous charges that the CCT has failed. For avoidance of doubt, CHRICED deems it critical that the public should clearly understand that the CCT is not the same as government’s palliative aimed at cushioning the effects of COVID-19."

"The Household Uplifting Programme (HUP) otherwise known as the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) was established to address deficiencies in capacity and lack of investment in human capital of poor and vulnerable households."

"It is a different programme with its unique structure, and the monies being disbursed to the poorest of the poor households under the CCT since 2018, are proceeds of the recovered Abacha loot of $322.5 million from Switzerland."

"The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) led by African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) have been actively participating in monitoring the disbursement of the CCT with a view to checking and reporting any observed challenges or issues of corruption."

"As the lead partner observing the CCT in the Northwest geo-political zone, CHRICED can authoritatively report that while the CCT process has experienced some challenges, it has been effective in a lot of ways, and has had its successes by putting monies in the pockets of the poorest Nigerians."

"While the observed gaps in the process have been routinely documented and passed on to the appropriate government agencies, it is our considered view that to misconstrue the CCT as COVID-19 palliative would make political leaders across federal, state, and local government easily escape accountability for the billions of Naira, which have been released for COVID-19 interventions."

CHRICED leader calls on the public to be cognizant of these differences and work to hold their leaders accountable for every Naira of public funds set aside as COVID-19 funds,

Zikirullahi also advised the as citizen groups and civil society to be mindful of this facts and monitor the process keenly.