About 19,720 residents of Osun State have been given a sum of N588,105,000.00 by the state government under the Imole Osun Cash Grant Scheme.
The state governor, Ademola Adeleke, at the flag-off of the exercise in Osogbo on Thursday, said the gesture was in continuation of his administration’s efforts to cushion the effects of the hard time on the people.
Adeleke, who was represented by the Head of Service, Mr Ayanleye Aina, said an additional 60,000 identified poor segment of the population would receive Automated Teller Machine cards of their different bank accounts to facilitate their access to such grants.
Adeleke also said the beneficiaries were drawn from the State Social Register for Poor and Vulnerable Households domiciled in the State Operation Coordinating Unit, National Social Safety Net Project in the Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development.
A statement by the spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, quoting Adeleke further read in parts, “During our electioneering campaign, we promise that we shall not abandon them.
We assure that we shall institutionalize an all-inclusive and well-coordinated Social Protection Policy that will provide a life support system for the poor and vulnerable. This support system shall aim to reduce the income gap between the haves and the haves-not in our dear state.
‘In pursuance of that promise, the State Government of Osun under my watch, in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the State Operation Coordinating Unit , National Social Safety Net Project, supervised by the Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development today launched this disbursement to the poor of the poor in the state
“Each beneficiary was supported with a sum of between N25,000 and N30, 000.00, Among the 19,720 beneficiaries, 10,390 of them with existing bank accounts have had access to withdraw and utilise their money.
“Also, I have given approval that the remaining 9,330 beneficiaries be given their debit cards. These people are poor people without account numbers, and with this distribution, it becomes an achievement that is in tandem with the financial inclusion policy of the Federal Government. “
