The President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has commenced a revalidation exercise of the National Social Register as part of efforts to strengthen the ongoing conditional cash transfer programme aimed at cushioning the impact of economic reforms.
The National Identity Management Commission’s Director General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, confirmed that 2.3 million households have been cleared for payment under the renewed scheme during a press briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
The World Bank has expressed concerns about the slow implementation of the cash transfer program, which was launched in 2023.
In its recent Nigeria Development Update report titled “Building Momentum for Inclusive Growth”, the global financial institution stated that only 37 per cent of the projected 15 million households, approximately 5.6 million, had received payments two years after the scheme was begun.
The World Bank granted a loan of $800 million for the effort, with $530 million released as of April 30, 2025.
The World Bank said, “Only 5.6 million households—around 37 per cent—have received at least one tranche of direct transfers. Further expansion of the programme remains dependent on biometrically verifying at least one adult member of the household with a foundational digital identity.
“Also, efforts to urgently provide support to the poorest and most economically at-risk households should be redoubled and expanded,” the bank noted.
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However, Coker-Odusote, a member of the inter-agency task force in charge of the programme’s identity verification process, stated that the revalidation was carried out under the National Social Safety Nets project to ensure that only eligible Nigerians benefit from the government’s palliative initiative.
“The Federal Government is currently conducting a revalidation exercise on the national social register under the National Social Safety Net so that they are able to carry out the payment,” she said.
“As of Tuesday, we have been able to revalidate 2.3 million persons and will soon be able to start making the necessary payments. Our job is to ensure the number of people validated, and we are doing that in conjunction with other agencies to make sure that the money goes to the right people.”
Also commenting on the issue, Special Adviser to Tinubu on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, in an interview with Arise TV, attributed the slow progress of the programme to the need for biometric validation, a step he described as necessary to ensure transparency and prevent fraud.
“If you know how the World Bank disburses its funds, they are very careful, and indeed, some persons would even argue that it creates some sort of bottlenecks.
“The reason why only 37 per cent of households have been reached is because of the need to have biometric confirmation. The truth is, the finance ministry has records of disbursements and the indigent beneficiaries. The only issue is scaling it up, but it is better to be careful than sorry. Going forward, the process will be tidied up even better,” Fasua said.
Fasua called for patience, stating that the integrity of the process was more important than speed, particularly when dealing with public funds meant for vulnerable citizens.
