The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has clarified that the true beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme are largely absent from social media, the internet, television, and formal banking systems.
Speaking during a special end-of-year review on Channels Television, the Minister addressed widespread public perceptions and criticisms that the social register and related humanitarian interventions primarily benefit politically connected or visible individuals rather than the poorest Nigerians.
“The people who are at this lower end are not on social media, they are not on the internet; they are not on TV and they are even unbanked,” Yilwatda stated. “So, these people don’t have a voice; assuming they have a voice, I am sure they would have been talking on our behalf. But unfortunately, they don’t have a voice.”
He explained that the National Social Register, developed in collaboration with the World Bank, civil society organisations, and international partners, deliberately targets the poorest of the poor. These individuals often live in remote communities, lack digital access, and are not represented in mainstream public discourse.
Yilwatda noted that many Nigerians who are active on social media, radio, or television and who therefore form opinions about the programme are not part of the register precisely because the current focus remains on the most vulnerable, unbanked populations. This, he said, fuels the mistaken belief that the register favours the relatively better-off.
The Minister reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability. Payments under the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme are now made digitally into verified accounts, with National Identification Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN) requirements being enforced.
Physical cash distributions have been discontinued. Efforts are underway to expand digital identity capture and geo-tag homes of registered households to further strengthen verification and prevent political interference.
Yilwatda emphasised that poverty does not recognise political affiliation, ethnicity, or social media presence. The Ministry will continue to resist any attempts by politicians or state actors to influence the beneficiary lists, ensuring that support reaches those who need it most.