Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, the disbursement of funds to the Nigerian poor to ameliorate the impact of Covid-19 has commenced. The African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), as part of its MANTRA project, was present at the kickoff of the Cash Transfer Programme in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, as part of efforts to monitor the disbursements.

The Executive Director of ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, in a statement issued by the ANEEJ Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mr. Paul Odokara, commended the federal government on the continuous disbursement of the returned $322.5 million Abacha loot to the poor, including this latest round that is meant to shield them from the adverse effects of the pandemic.

With ANEEJ personnel deployed across the country to monitor the exercise, Rev. Ugolor called on the monitoring officials to adhere strictly to professional standards in discharging their duties. He also urged them to take protective measures, wearing of face masks and handwashing, and to encourage others to follow suit.

ANEEJ and its partners across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria have been implementing the Monitoring Transparency and Accountability in Recovery and Management of Looted Assets (MANTRA) project since 2018. One of the MANTRA coordinators in the North Central geopolitical zone, Mr. Victor Emejuiwe, expressed satisfaction with the rollout of the latest round of disbursements.

Source: Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice

Photo source: Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice