Osun Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has ordered payment of N20,000 stipends each to 25,907 indigent citizens.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ismail Omipidan, in a statement on Tuesday, added Oyetola also directed immediate distribution of Debit Cards linked to the accounts of the beneficiaries to ensure transparency, accountability and seamless process.
Omipidan noted that the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon. Lawal Azeez Olayemi, made the disclosures in Ile-Ife where he distributed the cards to beneficiaries.
His words: “The scheme is one of the best social intervention programmes in the country. The governor had approved the payment of N20,000 each to 15,289 elderly citizens and people living with disabilities captured under the Special Grant Transfer (SGT) scheme.”
He added that approval had also been given for the immediate payment of N7,500 stipends to 10,618 vulnerable youths captured under the Public Workfare (PWF) programme.
He clarified the disbursement of the funds under the SGT and PWF was different from the Federal Government Conditional Cash Transfer recently launched by the Governor.
Olayemi added that the Governor had also mandated the immediate release of the monthly and quarterly stipends to the beneficiaries as part of efforts to alleviate the effects of hardship that the people are going through due to the lockdown.
He said the scheme, which started in July 2019 was a partnership between the Osun State Government and World Bank.
“This is a collaboration between the state government and World Bank designed to alleviate poverty, hunger, and unemployment among the people in the state. We commenced the exercise in line with the governor’s directive to ensure that every beneficiary under the scheme gets paid.
“There are two categories of beneficiaries. The first is the set of people living with disabilities and the aged. They are 15,289 and captured under the Special Grant Transfer (SGT). Also, there is Public Work Fare (PWF) which is designed for the youths and the beneficiaries under this are 10,618.
“The elderly ones and those living with disabilities are given N20,000 each quarterly while the beneficiaries under the Public Workfare (PWF) each takes home N7,500 monthly.
“We started the distribution of Debit Cards last week Friday where we captured Irewole, Isokan, Iwo, Ede-North and Ede-South local governments respectively. We have also captured Atakumosa- East, Ilesa-East, Oriade and Boluwaduro, Ife-East, Ife-Central, Atakumosa-West, Ila and Ife-North local governments.
“We are moving next to Orolu, Boripe, Ifelodun, Olorunda, Odo-Otin, Osogbo, Ife-South, Ifedayo, Irepodun, and Ejigbo local governments.
“Although the programme has been on since last year’s July but to ensure a high level of transparency and accountability, the state government had approved the production and distribution of Debit Cards to the beneficiaries.
“Before now, the beneficiaries used to receive their stipends by hand, but with this new technology, the process will be easier.
“The Debit Cards which is linked with the beneficiary’s account is aimed at ensuring easy access to funds. This social intervention programme is different from the Federal Government Conditional Cash Transfer recently launched by the governor,” Olayemi said.
