By Atoyebi Nike
May 17, 2025
The Federal Government has confirmed the revalidation of 2.3 million households for payment under its ongoing Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, aimed at mitigating the impact of recent economic reforms.
Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this at a press briefing held at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. She stated that the revalidation exercise—under the National Social Safety Nets Project (NASSP)—is a critical step in ensuring that only eligible Nigerians benefit from the government’s palliative scheme.
“As of Tuesday, we have been able to revalidate 2.3 million persons and will soon begin the necessary payments,” Coker-Odusote said. “We are working in conjunction with other agencies to make sure the money goes to the right people.”
The renewed verification process comes amid growing scrutiny over the pace and effectiveness of the programme. The World Bank, in its recent Nigeria Development Update report titled “Building Momentum for Inclusive Growth,” noted that only 5.6 million out of the intended 15 million households—roughly 37%—had received payments as of two years after the programme’s launch in 2023.
The global lender had approved an $800 million loan for the initiative, with $530 million disbursed as of April 30, 2025. However, the Bank stressed that further expansion of the programme hinges on biometric verification of at least one adult per household.
Coker-Odusote emphasized the importance of digital identity in ensuring transparency. “We don’t want to pay people who no longer exist. The point of identity verification is to have a reliable, real-time method to validate individuals and prevent misallocation of funds,” she said.
Also speaking on the matter, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, attributed the slow implementation to the rigorous verification process required by the World Bank and the need to avoid fraud.
“If you know how the World Bank disburses its funds, they are very careful, and that creates some bottlenecks,” Fasua told Arise TV. “It’s better to be careful than sorry. The process will be streamlined going forward.”
Fasua reiterated that while the process may be slow, the government prioritises accuracy over speed to protect public resources and ensure the most vulnerable citizens receive support.
The CCT programme was launched in response to hardship resulting from the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of Nigeria’s exchange rate policy. Officials hope that with the ongoing verification drive, payments will scale up significantly in the months ahead.
