The Kwara State Government will on Monday begin the disbursement of funds to beneficiaries of ‘Owo Arugbo’, the conditional cash transfer (CCT) component of the state’s Social Investment Programme.

The scheme is targeted at giving succour to indigent and vulnerable adults of 60 and above in the state.

No fewer than 10,000 persons have been captured to receive funds under this initiative, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement.

“After an initial enumeration of a total of 17,941 potential beneficiaries, a rigorous screening process took place for transparency and quality assurance.

“The names generated were compared against the lists of beneficiaries of both the National Cash Transfer Programme (NCTP) in Kwara and the Special Grant Transfer (SGT) programme under the Youth Employment and Social Support (YESSO) to be sure only those who have not benefited from either of the two make it to the list of Owo Arugbo,” the statement quoted the anchor of the programme, Mohammed Brimah as saying.

“We were therefore left with 10,000 beneficiaries as the targeted number for the first phase of disbursement of Owo Arugbo from the initial 17,941 enumerated across the state,” he said.

Brimah added that payment will be made on a bi-monthly basis, giving each beneficiary the sum of N6,000 once every two months, starting with the November/December cycle, the statement added.

“Elders everywhere deserve care and attention. Many become destitute and lose their lives to hunger, avoidable sickness and depression as a result of neglect. This administration seeks to guard against this within available resources,” it added.

“N6,000 every two months bolsters the chances of an improved diet which results in greater life expectancy for many people. Unlike Owo Isowo, another people-oriented scheme under KWASSIP designed for petty traders, Owo Arugbo is totally free and non–refundable.

“It is a social safety net for the elderly and vulnerable. Beneficiaries are spread across all the 16 LGAs in line with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s vision to get dividends of governance to every doorstep,” it said.

The AbdulRazaq administration in May released N300 million to fund the state’s social investment programmes targeted at the poorest of the poor, including the aged, the widow, and others at the lowest wrung of the economy.