No fewer than 5,000 vulnerable, very poor persons and People With Disabilities in Cross River State on Monday received N20,000 grants each from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. 

Speaking at the event which was held at the Millennium Park in Calabar, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Beta Edu, said the one-off grant was part of President Bola Tinubu’s determination to lift vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty across the country. 

“Here in Cross River, we are flagging off the grant for vulnerable groups in Cross River. So far, we’ve been able to reach 5,000 very poor and vulnerable persons at the grassroots in this state with plans to expand in the coming year. 

“We have checked and confirmed that these people are very poor and they deserve to benefit from the scheme in line with President Tinubu’s commitment to lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty in 2024 through the various social protection programmes,” the minister said in a statement. 

She urged the beneficiaries to invest the grants into profitable economic ventures. 

“These monies are not given to you for you to spend on drinks or do whatever that is out of place, but to start a petty trade or boast your petty trade and make better profits to sustain your families. 

“These monies can be used to start up little businesses. You can use these grants to boost your trade, and that will help with sustainability. These grants are deliberate acts by the federal government to pull people out of poverty,” she added. 

Edu assured all that qualified Cross River people will be beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s social intervention programmes being implemented through her ministry and agencies within the sector. 

Earlier, the Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, who presented  dummy cheques to beneficiaries, commended Tinubu for championing the cause of the poor and prioritising the welfare of the citizens. 

The governor, who said the state under his watch had been pushing a people-first government, implored the beneficiaries to put the grants into proper use. 

“On behalf of the people of Cross River State, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency, the President of this great nation, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for truly making a difference in people’s lives daily and championing this cause of prioritizing the welfare of our citizens, it is easy to know a transparent government that means well for its people,” he said.