AD criticises FG on N5,000 disbursement to ‘poorest Nigerians’

THE Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Kwara State has criticised the N5,000 monthly stipend to one million most vulnerable Nigerians through the conditional cash transfer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) social investment programmes.

Speaking with Tribune Online in Ilorin on Tuesday, the state secretary of AD, Hon. Michael Ologunde, described the development as exploitation.

“It’s the same way people in government, particularly the APC want to exploit Nigerians. In the first instance, what’s N5000 to anyone in this present economic situation in the country? Before the supposed beneficiaries get the money, they’d have spent it because transporting themselves to where they will collect the money would take nothing less than N1000.

More so, the money can’t go round. We are not even sure of our national population, talk less of poor people. We have up to 90 per cent of poor people. Retirees are not paid. Are they included among the poorest people? What we believe is that the money is a way of sharing Nigeria money again because those who will give out the money would take out of it. And it’s only those close to them that will benefit.

Don’t be surprised that some traditional rulers will share out of it. It won’t be open,” he said.

The AD leader said that government should use the fund meant for such programme to subsidise prices of essential commodities like rice, beans, maize, garri and even elubo.

“An example is what Lagos State government did with rice project,” he said, while he suggested a basic salary of N60,000 for Nigerian workers.

Hon Ologunde, who said that the programme had already attracted complaints, added that beneficiaries in the state were lopsided to favour a particular local government in the Ilorin metropolis out of the whole 16 local government areas in the state.

It’s just a way to give opportunity to those that will steal it, he said.