Nigerian press focuses on unveiling N1.125tr conditional cash transfers to 15m households, others

APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The report that President Bola Tinubu has officially unveiled his government’s Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer Programme designed to cushion effects of fuel subsidy removal and other economic shocks for vulnerable groups in Nigeria is one of the leading stories in Nigerian newspapers on Wednesday.
The Guardian reports that President Bola Tinubu has officially unveiled his government’s Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer Programme designed to cushion effects of fuel subsidy removal and other economic shocks for vulnerable groups in Nigeria.
During the flag off, which coincided with International Day for Eradication of Poverty, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, Tinubu said the scheme will cater for 15 million households and is specifically aimed at uplifting the poor and vulnerable.
The programme, expected to cost around N1.125 trillion, will assist 62 million beneficiaries in the next three months, each receiving N75,000.
At the symbolic ceremony for the initial five beneficiaries, Tinubu, who was represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, said his administration is determined to lead from the front and ensure all Nigerians enjoy sustained social protection.
He disclosed that the government is working to develop and deploy more interventions to help Nigerians.
He said these include: investment of N100 billion to purchase 3,000 units of 20-seater Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered buses for cheaper transportation; investment of N200 billion to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmland to boost food security; and release of 2,000 metric tons of grains from strategic reserves to households across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory;
The newspaper says that the Federal Government, yesterday, confirmed securing over six million doses of Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to roll out the first phase of vaccination, targeting over six million girls nationwide.
The national launch, which begins October 24, is for girls aged nine to 14.
Besides, the government has concluded plans to integrate the HPV vaccine into routine immunisation by 2025, focusing on girls aged nine.
Meanwhile the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said the HPV vaccine, known as Gardasil, had been granted approval after being certified to be safe and effective for preventing the infection and reducing the risk of cervical cancer.
Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr, Faisal Shuaib, who disclosed this at a joint press briefing with NAFDAC yesterday in Abuja, noted that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Nigerian women, and second most common cause of cancer-related fatalities among women aged 15 to 49 years.
He stated that the country alone contributes an estimated 12,075 new cases of global cervical cancer yearly, adding that with 12,000 new diagnoses and 8,000 deaths every year, “it translates to 33 new cervical cancer cases and 22 deaths every day in our nation.”
Shuaib said introduction of the HPV vaccine would be in two phases, stressing that the first phase would cover 16 states, including Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Enugu and Jigawa.
The others are Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while the second phase holds in the first quarter of 2024 and would capture the remaining states: Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna and Katsina.
The rest are Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.
The Guardian also reports that outcomes of the last general elections and unprecedented flurry of election petitions have heightened credibility doubts of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ability to conduct a free, fair and credible election.
Although the trend of ‘election by court order’ has continued since the return of civil rule in 1999, disputed election outcomes waiting for judicial resolution in this year’s polls are alarming.
For instance, a total of 1,280 political offices were contested in 2023, comprising the office of the presidency, 109 members of the Senate, 360 seats for the Federal House of Representatives, 782 House of Assembly seats across 28 states of the federation and 28 governorship positions.
Out of the total figure, 1,209 petitions are before the judiciary for adjudication, according to the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Monica Dongban-mensem during the ceremony to commence the 2023/2024 legal year in Abuja, representing a whopping 94.453 per cent of the positions where votes were cast.
The implication is that the electorate have less say about who becomes their leader, as that responsibility has substantially been shifted to the judiciary.
As it is, only 71 offices are truly decided by the citizens, representing a paltry 5.547 per cent of the offices contested.
According to the human rights lawyer, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, these statistics confirm that the 2023 elections rival that of 2007 in infamy, despite the amendments to the Electoral Act and promises by the electoral umpire to improve the process.
“By contrast, 2015 was the first time that Nigeria’s presidential election did not end up in court, reflecting the consensus that the elections of that year were relatively well organised with results that largely reflected the will of the people.
“It was also the first time that the proportion of elections ending up in courts was less than 50 per cent (663 petitions or 44.32 per cent). The 2019 elections produced 766 petitions (51.2 per cent), roughly the same number as the 769 (51.4 per cent) seen in 2011,” he pointed out.
The Punch says that over 100 mini-electricity grids are currently in operation across the country, making Nigeria one of the largest mini-grid markets in Africa, the Federal Government revealed on Tuesday.
It disclosed this through the Rural Electrification Agency, a Federal Government organisation, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the REA and the Africa Mini-Grid Developers Association in Abuja.
Partners in the deal signed the MoU to further promote and accelerate mini-grid development in Nigeria, with focus on knowledge sharing, capacity building, better coordination of the sector, among other initiatives.
“Nigeria has one of the largest mini-grid markets in Africa, with over 100 mini-grids currently in operation primarily through the implementation of data-driven programmes and initiatives of the Rural Electrification Agency,” the Managing Director, REA, Ahmad Salihijo, stated.
He, however, stated that due to the energy access gap across the country, there was still a significant need for more decentralised energy interventions to bridge the energy deficit and catalyse socio-economic growth, particularly in rural underserved communities.
Salihijo said the REA had over the years expanded its partnership portfolio, while collaborating with stakeholders across the off-grid energy value chain.
GIK/APA