It's no longer news that about #500bn of our 2017 National Budget captures the social intervention fund with #5000 for each beneficiary on monthly basis. Though, this is a scheme that has been practiced in the USA, India, Pakistan and some other nations of the world, where the aged, physically disadvantaged, senior citizens, and the vulnerable poor are given welfare packages, yet this is the first of its kind in Nigeria.

However, the scheme though with good intents, have become a questionable issue to rational minds as its implementation in less than 2 months in the selected nine pilot states (Ekiti, Kogi, Borno, Bauchi, Niger, Oyo, Kwara, Ogun and Cross Rivers), have sparked up many controversies in its implementation.

One of the prominent issues raised, is the identification and selection of the 'poor'. We were told of the World Bank Community Based Targeting template, that has been invoke since 2014, which is been used now as the tool for the exercise. Well, the principle of the model if well adopted is good but we know that this model was not fully implemented.

Again, in the present state of politics of this nation, where there is an outcry of political marginalisation by some regions in Nigeria, how come some geopolitical regions were neglected in the pilot phase of this scheme? Is it that such regions do not have the poor in their midst or they are better off than the rest? With nine pilot states and six geopolitical zones, common sense would demand that at least every geopolitical zone should provide one state. This is necessary to ensure justice, equity and fair play. But this was never done. The failure of this geopolitical representation is deepening the disintegration and eroding the deep sense of belonging and unity in our Nation.

In addition, the poor definitely do not do bank transactions and consequently do not have bank accounts. Definitely, there must be need to open one for them. Most times, the poorest of the poor, whom, this funds is meant for, live in the rural areas where there are no commercial banks, maybe the nearest to them may gulp up to #1000 in transportation. So how will they go about the bank transactions? Will the politicians help them in the withdrawal? If close to #1000 is spent to access #5000 for a month, does it worth it? Currently, the high level of inflation at over 18%, nearly makes #5000 as good as the paper it's been printed with, because the purchasing power of the naira has been lost. Is this scheme not another avenue of national financial recklessness, wastage and empowering of the elites at the masses expense?

Recently, there has been publications on the news media both online and offline, of hijacking of the programme and it's funds by political criminals. If the trend continues, the political elites will continue to rape the national treasury, without the impact of the intervention fund felt.

In as much as one of the tenets of good governance is taking the welfare of its citizens paramount, which we in the New Nigeria Vanguard supports, yet, caution should not be thrown to the wind, when the steps to achieving social welfare maximisation is done through the wrong way with bias, sentiments, and criminal intents been in the background.

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Ok

Somehow it's never nothing easy with Naija...

lala pls do d needful thank you