Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, rejected a report on Wednesday regarding the claim that the Minister of Defense was misled about the disbursement of a N25 billion Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) intended for retired military pensioners.
Mr. Rasheed Zubair, the Minister’s Special Advisor on Media and Public Affairs, made the rejection known in a statement.
Mr. Zubair revealed that all approved funds, upon verification of the beneficiaries’ details, are to be sent directly to them through their bank accounts and are verifiable, in accordance with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive, even though the Ministry has not released or plans to release any money intended for the Renewed Hope Cash Transfer to any individual or group.
“The attention of the Honorable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, has been drawn to a fake news item in the media and public spaces alleging that the Honorable Minister of Defense, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has received N25 billion from the Conditional Cash Transfer Funds that were allegedly meant for the Retired Military Pensioners.”
“The public is advised to ignore this story as it is not only fraudulent but also a calculated, malevolent, and inane attempt to damage the reputation and honor of the Honorable Minister by petty trolls, displeased factions, and opponents of the current administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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According to the documents, the Honorable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation never gave or considered giving Ministers or Ministries money intended for the pensioners of retired military personnel from the Nigerian Armed Forces.For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigerian Legion and the Pensioners group submitted a list of 17,077 Veterans and 264,560 Pensioners to the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) during the third week of November. The process of personally verifying the names is still in progress.
In a similar vein, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation’s office in charge of verifying the register is laboriously working with the World Bank. After the thorough verification process is finished, all of the captured retired warriors who fit the requirements and pensioners will receive payment.
“This press release informs the public, particularly the media, that the ministry has not released or plans to release any funds intended for the Renewed Hope Cash Transfer to any individual or group.
“In accordance with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s direction, all funds are to be delivered directly to the beneficiaries through their verifiable bank accounts after the beneficiaries’ details have been verified.
“Nigerians should not allow themselves to be distracted or misinformed by naysayers. Mr. President’s good intention to expand the National Social Register and commence payment of the N25,000 for three months to accommodate the veterans of the Nigerian Armed Forces is a novel idea and the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria,” Mr. Zubair stated in the statement.
