The Nigerian government's cash-based social intervention programme has reached 67.19 million people and 10.44 million households as of August 2026. The programme, managed by the National Cash Transfer Office and the National Social Investment Programme Agency, provides eligible households with a total of N75,000, split into three monthly tranches of N25,000 each. The programme's goal is to address poverty, but its implementation has raised concerns about transparency and accountability.
The 2024 annual report of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation revealed several infractions, including non-compliance and internal control weaknesses in the programme. The report questioned the documentation supporting N33.751 billion in electronic transfers to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries across 35 states in 2023. The audit report also noted that payment vouchers did not contain full beneficiary details, making it difficult to reconcile payments with persons listed on the national social register and national beneficiary register.
The programme's lack of transparency and accountability has raised concerns among stakeholders. The audit report stated that it was difficult to authenticate payments or establish whether beneficiaries who received the money were genuine. The report also noted that the information required to verify the identity of beneficiaries was not presented for examination. This lack of transparency has led to questions about the programme's effectiveness in addressing poverty.
Critics argue that the programme is not tied to any specific conditions or outcomes, beyond recognizing beneficiaries as 'poor'. They suggest that conditional cash transfers should be linked to specific goals, such as improving healthcare or education outcomes. For example, under the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the federal government paid women who attended antenatal clinics N5,000 each to tackle maternal mortality.
The Midwifery Service Scheme, introduced in 2010, was one such programme that paid women to attend antenatal clinics. More than 4,000 midwives were deployed to 1,000 health facilities nationwide under the scheme. However, it is unclear what lessons have been learned from this programme and others like it. The current cash transfer programme has been touted as a success by some government officials, but there is limited evidence to support this claim.
The programme's impact is also limited by the amount of money provided, which is not enough to meaningfully address poverty. The removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira have also had a significant impact on the economy, making it challenging for the programme to achieve its goals. As a result, stakeholders are calling for a more targeted approach that addresses specific problems, such as maternal mortality or access to healthcare.
High maternal deaths in Nigeria have been linked to a lack of accessible, acceptable, and affordable primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare, as well as a lack of drugs, skilled personnel, and poor referral linkages in hospitals. A more effective programme would need to address these underlying issues to have a meaningful impact. The government must consider these concerns and work to improve the programme's transparency, accountability, and effectiveness.
Key points
- The programme's lack of transparency and accountability has raised concerns among stakeholders.
- The programme is not tied to any specific conditions or outcomes, beyond recognizing beneficiaries as 'poor'.
- The programme's impact is limited by the amount of money provided and the economic challenges facing the country.
