Nigerians have accused the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, of deceiving the public with her disclosure that the Federal Government has paid 3.5 million Nigerians the sum of N25,000 to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.
She said while appearing on Channels Television’s programme, ‘Politics Today,’ on Friday.
“We have so far paid 3.5 million Nigerians N25,000 each. Of course, we are out on the field and covering another 4.5 million in the next one week so we will have altogether close to about 8 million people between now and the end of the year.”
Edu also said the government is offsetting months of salary arrears owed N-Power beneficiaries by the former President Muhammadu Buhari government.
“Presently, payment for N-Power is ongoing. We were in the office yesterday up until the early hours of this morning, just to ensure that young people get monies which they have been owed from the last government,” she stated.
Reacting to the news, @anonymousmoood wrote on X, ‘The FG has defrauded Nigerians of N87.5 billion, while giving a wrong stats claiming it has paid 3.5m Nigerians the sum of N25k.
”They have a reason now to defend the subsidy from fuel, as part of the funds was paid to Nigerians as conditional transfer without no proof.
”What God cannot do in Nigeria does not exist ‘
Another user, @abbide, wrote, ”The minister is falsifying the numbers of those that received the money. We know this game. Pay 25k to like 10,000 people, claim you paid to 3.5m people, when neutrals call you out, arrange the 1,000 people to come and testify.
End of story.”
@kenUttih, on his part, believes disbursing funds in the manner the minister claimed causes inflation and does not solve Nigerians’ problem.
”This is one of the major causes of high inflation in Nigeria and it achieves nothing in the long term. In fact, it makes things worst because the people who get it simply use to it to settle their old debts which they took to feed themselves and their families and the cycle of borrowing continues.
”In a serious country, this kind of measures should only be temporary to cushion the negative effect of an extraordinary event which has caused hardship to the people but not under the APC, they claim it is the magic wand to take over 90m Nigerians out of poverty. This can’t work.
”Only productivity and gainful employment take people out of poverty. China took over 900m people out of poverty by becoming the factory of the world. They killed poverty literally not by conditional and unconditional cash transfer but by being useful to themselves and to the world. We’re not doing enough of that right now.”
Another user, @ dammyghet, said, ”There’s definitely an imaginary money flying around in those past and present administration.
”Buhari paid some imaginary Nigerians and Tinubu is doing same again, it’s just a conduit pipe to siphon our patrimony. Who are the faceless beneficiaries?”
