The Federal Government has confirmed that 2.3 million households have been revalidated and cleared for payment under its ongoing conditional cash transfer programme, aimed at cushioning the impact of economic reforms.

Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this during a press briefing at the agency’s Abuja headquarters.

“The Federal Government is currently conducting a revalidation exercise on the national social register under the National Social Safety Net, so that they are able to carry out the payment,” she said. “As of Tuesday, we have been able to revalidate 2.3 million persons and will soon be able to start making the necessary payments.”

Coker-Odusote stressed the importance of accurate identity verification to ensure only eligible Nigerians benefit. “We don’t want to pay people who no longer exist in this world. So, the right thing must be done.”

The revalidation follows concerns by the World Bank over the slow pace of payments, with only about 37 percent of the targeted 15 million households having received funds two years after the programme’s launch in 2023.

Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, attributed the slow progress to the need for biometric validation, which he described as necessary for transparency and fraud prevention.

“If you know how the World Bank disburses its funds, they are very careful… The truth is, the finance ministry has records of disbursements and the indigent beneficiaries. The only issue is scaling it up, but it is better to be careful than sorry,” Fasua said.

He urged patience, emphasizing the integrity of the process over speed, especially when public funds are involved.