FG Terminates Contracts Over Cash Transfer Delays In Bayelsa, A’Ibom, Others

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has directed the immediate termination of the contract of two Payment Service Providers, PSPs, for failure to meet the contractual agreement to commence Conditional Cash Transfer to beneficiaries in four states of the federation assigned to them.
She also asked the 500,000-strong N-Power enrollees throughout the country to expect bank credit alerts for outstanding payments of their monthly entitlement from yesterday.
The states affected by the PSPs’ failure to pay include Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom in the South South; Abia in the South East and Zamfara in the North West.
The minister said the immediate termination of the contract would be in line with World Bank procurement guidelines to ensure that payments commence   in the affected states on or before April 28, 2020.
In a statement issued by her Special Adviser on Media, Salisu Na’inna Dambatta, yesterday, the minister said the Federal Government would not accept delays in the current payment round of   N20,000 stipends to beneficiaries in poor and vulnerable households in the four states or any other states of the federation under any guise.
“The failure of any payment service providers to meet its 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,” the minister added.
She also asked the 500,000-strong N-Power enrollees throughout the country to expect to receive bank credit alerts for outstanding.