The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded that the federal government publish the comprehensive list of Nigerians benefited by N330 billion reportedly spent under the cash transfer programme.
This comes after claims by the government that millions of Nigerians have been taken out of poverty by social safety nets operated by the National Social Safety-net Coordinating Office (NASSCO).
On Thursday, NLC acting general secretary Comrade Benson Upah challenged the assertion by the government, asserting that such assertions must be backed by evidence that is testable.
“For the purpose of accountability, Nigerians must be presented with evidence of these disbursements,” he said, terming the scenario as “banditry with statistics.”
Upah countered that transparency demands the names of the recipients of the aid be made known, insisting that developed countries make public that information when they arrive with announcements about social programs.
“If you say you raised millions of individuals, where are they? Where are the individuals you have benefited this much? They should bring out the recipients,” he said.
He also swore that Nigerians were not foolish, adding that the release of the data would revive public trust in the government’s poverty war that most citizens have argued has not done much to curb the inflation and increasing cost of living.
The NLC countered that without proof, the government claim that it had pulled millions out of poverty remains a suspicion since most Nigerians believed the policies have helped spread misery.
The federal government, through finance and coordinating economy minister Wale Edun, previously revealed that N330 billion was disbursed to poor families under the social register of NASSCO. The minister clarified that the disbursements were funded with a $800 million World Bank facility.
