BENIN CITY – The New Apostolic Church Centre For Development (NCD) has appealed to the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), in Edo State where payments have been withheld since January this year not to lose hope.

The appeal was made by Mr. Oriakhi Victor, advisor, New Apostolic Church Centre For Development during the Town Hall meeting for CCT beneficiaries held in Benin City recently.

He disclosed that the Conditional Cash Transfer programme of N5, 000: 00 monthly to the poorest of the poor, which is paid bi-monthly as N10, 000 per beneficiary started in Edo State and some states late 2019.

“To be precise, it started in September. The beneficiaries in our dear state were paid up to December 2019. They have waited patiently since and no payments have been made since January 2020.

“It became very worrisome to our senior partner (ANEEJ) for one very important reason because the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ has played a leading and vital role in the process of the repatriation of the Abacha loot and the prevention of the re-loot.

“How come it came late to the state? There was so much delay in its implementation and now the discontinuity of the programme since January 2020.

“It was on this note, with the backing of ANEEJ, NCD embarked on a fact – finding and assurance mission to six local government areas,” he noted.

The Head of unit, CCT, Mrs. Flora Bossey, Commended ANEEJ and NCD for embarking on the fact finding mission to the six Local Government Areas.

“We feel your pains that you are unable to get the money, it is beyond us in the state. But after investigation, we understand that the payment service provider did not do the work well, which is under investigation.

“I also want to appeal that the beneficiaries should not give money to anybody to influence their payment, because the money is meant to help you. The authorities are aware that you have not been paid,” she added.

In his goodwill message, on behalf of ANEEJ, Hutman Adeleye said the New Apostolic Church Centre For Development is in partnership with ANEEJ in its monitoring of recovered asset through transparency and accountability (MANTRA) project with the profound support from the Department of International Development (DFID) in its anti-corruption in Nigeria (ACERN) programme.

During the town hall meeting, the facilitator, Priest Felix Ekhator presented slides of the feed – back report on the spot check exercise by NCD, and there were questions and answers.