The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has directed immediate termination of the contract of two payment service providers for failing to meet the contractual agreement to commence Conditional Cash Transfer to beneficiaries in four states assigned to them.
The two payment providers are Data Mining Company and Innovative NIPOST.
A statement by the Special Assistant to the minister, Salisu Na’inna Dambatta, said the affected states are Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Abia and Zamfara.
“The immediate termination of the contract would be with the guidance of the World Bank, and a new procurement process launched using World Bank procurement guidelines to ensure that payments commence in the affected states on or before April 28, 2020.”
The minister said the government could not accept delays in the current payment round of N20,000 stipends to beneficiaries in poor and vulnerable households under any excuses in the four states or any other states of the federation.
“The failure of any payment service providers to meet their contractual agreement is unacceptable. The Federal Government through the Ministry cannot allow contractors to derail the immediate Conditional cash transfers to the poor and the vulnerable,” she stated.
