The Federal Government on Monday began the payment of N20,000 to vulnerable groups in Cross River as part of efforts to alleviate poverty in the country.
Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River, who was joined by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, launched the process in Calabar.
Otu hailed the initiative and said it would help reduce poverty among the vulnerable.
The governor, however, said that the president needed the partnership of all to succeed in the task of taking 50 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.
He expressed his administration’s readiness to support the initiative and also collaborate with other initiatives of the Federal Government on poverty alleviation.
While noting that some people had already started receiving payment alerts, he described the development as timely, especially against the background of the Christmas celebration.
The governor assured the people of a brighter future in the country and the state in particular.
“With the way the government speaks to the economics of the nation, it means the future of the nation is secured.
“For Cross River, we are looking into all key sectors, from agriculture to security and tourism. In no distant time, the state will be the toast of all the other states in the nation,” he said.
