Twenty-thousand vulnerable households in Lagos State are to benefit from the Federal Government’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Cash Transfer Programme.
The Director, Lagos State Operations Coordinating Unit (LASOCU), Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs. Oluwakemi Adedeji, said the initiative was made possible by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and the Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the World Bank.
She said the aim of the initiative was to come up with a COVID-19 Rapid Response Register that would enrol small business owners and artisans, whose businesses had been affected by COVID-19 in Lagos State, through the use of satellite technology to send text messages to their phones, from May 30 to June 5.
According to the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), “this initiative will start with seven wards, 181 communities in four local governments. They are Irewe and Tafi in Ojo Local Government, Ikoga, Ajido and Iya Afin in Badagry Local Government and Abomiti and Ijede in Epe and Ikorodu local governments. Residents are advised to register by responding to the text messages that will be sent to their phones or contact their CDA in selected wards.”
Adedeji said the selection was based on scientific method of Satellite Remote Sensing Technology, Machine Learning, Algorithm and Big Data Analysis, which provided the basis for ranking the wards according to poverty index and availability of resources.
She said enumerators would meet applicants at their homes to take further information such as National Identification Numbers (NIN) and bank account details, adding that those registered would receive cash transfer credited directly to their accounts.
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