The minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk, said the ministry has commenced the transfer of cash to poorest households in the country.
Addressing a press briefing organised by the presidential task force on Coronavirus in Abuja on Monday, the Minister said the measure was aimed at cushioning the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on vulnerable Nigerians.
Nigeria has so far recorded 131 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths, with Lagos as the epicentre.
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Farouk said the vulnerable group will also be expanded to consider more persons during the infection period.
She stated: “In Mr. President’s speech, paragraph 54, he directed that the conditional cash transfer should be given in advance of two months. This we have also done. We have directed immediate cash transfer to the poorest and most vulnerable households in the country.
“Because of this COVID-19, the vulnerable groups have to expanded, because we are aware that there are people who live on daily wage, so we are also going to look at those groups of people to see how we can get this food relief intervention to them in this period.”
The minister also disclosed that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has deployed trucks of relief materials to states affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
