From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The federal government launched an inter-agency task force to accelerate conditional cash transfers to 15 million vulnerable Nigerian households, a flagship initiative under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The task force, announced during the inaugural meeting of the Technical Committee of the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI) in Abuja, aims to streamline disbursements and enhance financial inclusion.
Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President) Ibrahim Hadejia emphasised collaboration among government agencies, financial institutions, and academia. “Financial inclusion is not just about having a bank account—it means access to quality services, credit, and the visibility that digital platforms offer,” he said, citing India’s success in poverty reduction through financial inclusion, observed at the World Bank Spring Meetings in April 2025.
PreCEFI Secretary Nurudeen Zauro revealed that the task force, comprising the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), will address delays in transferring N75,000 to each of the 15 million households over three months. “An inter-agency committee has been established to address delays in the disbursement of conditional cash transfers to 15 million households as mandated by President Tinubu,” Zauro stated.
NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote noted the National Identification Number (NIN) as a bridge to services like health, education, and agriculture, strengthening data infrastructure. CBN’s Aisha Isa-Olatinwo stressed outcomes for low-income Nigerians, noting financial inclusion as a core pillar of Tinubu’s eight-point agenda. Professor Olayinka David-West of Lagos Business School called the meeting “solution-orientated”, adding, “Economic and financial inclusion is every Nigerian’s problem.”
The committee plans to localise data from the EFInA Access to Financial Services survey through collaboration with state governments, presenting findings to the National Economic Council and Nigerian Governors’ Forum. Other attendees included representatives from NITDA, NCC, FCCPC, Bank of Industry, Gates Foundation, Ahmadu Bello University, Egbaraden Traditional Council, IQS Africa, and Google, reflecting broad stakeholder engagement.