Mr. Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President, Muhammadu Buhari says though many people condemn the Nigerian government for distributing N5,000 to poor people, it is “bliss” for many beneficiaries.
Adesina disclosed this in an article titled, ‘Buhari’s Kind of Kindness’, which was shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday.
According to the presidential spokesperson, the president’s commitment to the welfare of the poor and his love for the vulnerable earned him victories during the 2015 election and reelection in 2019.
He added that Buhari would rather expend money to cater for the poor and vulnerable than give people in exchange for a favour.
Adesina said, “In 2019, having put on his (Buhari) thinking cap on how he could further be of help to the poor, the weak and vulnerable, the President established the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development. He appointed Sadiya Umar Farouq as the Minister.
“Last week, Minister Farouq was guest at the 30th edition of the weekly State House Press Briefing. And there, she unfolded Buhari’s kind of kindness, his compassion for the hapless and the disadvantaged.
“President Buhari won’t give you sack-loads of cash to compromise you, or curry your favor. He would rather deploy same to do good deeds, showing kindness to the weak and deprived, the aching and hurting.
“There is a National Social Register, which had over 46 million Nigerians on enrollment as at January 2022. Under CCT, the sum of N5,000 is paid to the poor and vulnerable monthly. Over 1,632,480 households are benefiting from that already.
“Just N5,000 only, some people may say in derision, with their noses turned skyward. But for a person who possibly has not owned half of that amount, to now receive it monthly, it is sheer bliss. That is why they are called poor and vulnerable. President Buhari loves them, and cares for them.
“There is a grant of N20,000 for 320,000 rural women, while the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is already in 35 States, with 54,796 schools involved, 9,976,654 pupils being fed, and 112,453 cooks engaged. Under GEEP, there is TraderMoni, which has taken care of 1,962,383 and 382,368 people in two phases, MarketMoni, 425,362 and 412,388 people, respectively, and FarmerMoni, 36,508 and 348,027 people.”
