In the course of the weekly ministerial media briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Farouq said contrary to what critics say about the cash transfer initiative, poor Nigerians have benefited immensely from it.
According to her, the N5,000 which is credited individually to poor people on a monthly basis brings tears of joy to them because it has helped them escape from their dire situation, adding that some of them even save from the amount.
Her words: “If you look at the people that you are taking this intervention to, N5,000 means a lot to them, because these are poor and vulnerable households, and it changes their status; but for you and me, N5,000 is not even enough for us to buy recharge card; that’s the difference.
“But for these poor people in the communities, they were able to save out of that N5,000; if it’s not making any impact, if it’s not changing their economic status, I don’t think anybody will force them to contribute that N1,000 to provide that vehicle for their use. So, N5,000 goes a long way.”
Sharing her sentiment on the minister’s claim, Fa'idah Ibrahim, a beggar around Berger area of Lagos State, told this writer that she was not honest.
According to her, the current economic realities make it impossible for anyone to survive on N5,000 for a month. In her words: “It is not possible, and let me tell you, for a widow like me with four kids without shelter in Lagos, all I make from seeking mercy from people is just to feed. It’s not like we eat like the rich or average people with reliable sources of income, yet my children and I find it difficult to manage that money in 10 days.”
Like Ibrahim, another beggar, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, claimed that it is difficult to feed with N5,000 in a month, not to talk of saving from it.
“We tell too many lies in this country. In my opinion, I think it’s not just fair to make such an assertion, as a single man with his family in the village, I struggle to spend just N5,000 in a month on feeding. This doesn’t include that of my family in the village. So, what does she mean by saying N5,000 can alleviate one from poverty,” he queried.