FG Claims N419bn Disbursed to Nearly 6m Nigerians, Promises Another N54bn Payout in August. The Federal Government says it has so far disbursed N419 billion under its conditional cash transfer programme, reaching nearly six million Nigerians. Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday. According to him, the initiative targets vulnerable citizens captured in the National Social Register, with 71 percent of beneficiaries from the North and 29 percent from the South. “In August, we are going to reach 2.19 million people. So far, N419 billion has been disbursed to 5.968 million Nigerians. By the end of this month, another N54 billion will be paid to 2.119 million beneficiaries,” Sununu said. He explained that each beneficiary will receive N75,000 in total, paid in three tranches of N25,000. The minister added that the government was adopting more transparent measures in the disbursement process. “We are moving away from anonymous transfers. Everything will be done publicly. We will release data per state, with details of the amounts and beneficiaries, and the information can be verified with the World Bank,” he noted. Nigeria’s conditional cash transfer programme has faced criticisms in the past over poor accountability and alleged corruption. #Fintter_news #Nigerian_news #FG #Disbursement #Funds

Nigeria Pledges Reciprocal Action Following New US Visa Requirements. The Federal Government has vowed to impose reciprocal measures after the United States introduced stricter visa requirements for Nigerian applicants. The U.S. Mission in Nigeria announced via its official X handle that all Nigerian visa applicants must now submit details of their social media accounts, email addresses, phone numbers, and usernames used over the past five years. It warned that failure to comply could lead to visa denial or future entry restrictions. Following reports that the new policy expands on earlier rules for international students, which required applicants to list and remove privacy restrictions on their social media accounts for vetting purposes. The U.S. authorities explained that the measure forms part of broader immigration policies aimed at strengthening national security. Responding, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa said Nigeria was briefed in advance of the policy and will respond with equal action. He stressed that American citizens applying for Nigerian visas will be subjected to the same requirements. “Visa matters are reciprocal. Whatever conditions are placed on our nationals, we will apply to theirs as well,” Ebienfa stated, adding that an inter-agency meeting will be convened to determine the government’s official response. #fintter_news #Nigerian_news #FG #America #Visa_requirements