Hardship fund: FG’s claim of N70b grants to states misleading, says Makinde
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has criticised the Federal Government’s depiction of the N570 billion distributed to states as a “Hardship Fund,” describing it as a misrepresentation of facts.
In a newsletter released on Thursday evening, Makinde clarified that the funds in question were not directly provided by the Federal Government. Instead, they were part of the World Bank’s COVID-19 Action Recovery Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) initiative.
He emphasised that these funds were loans, not grants; and must be repaid by the states. Makinde explained that Oyo State had received N5.98 billion in the first instance and an additional N822 million, which were invested across the three focus areas of NG-CARES, including support for smallholder farmers through the distribution of agricultural inputs.
“Earlier this week, I was contacted by a concerned citizen regarding the so-called N570b Hardship Fund supposedly ‘given’ to the 36 states by the Federal Government. I must categorically clarify that this is a case of fact distortion. The funds in question were part of the World Bank-assisted NG-CARES project – a Programme for Results intervention,” he clarified.
He further pointed out that NG-CARES, referred to as Oyo-CARES within the state, was established prior to the current federal administration.
Makinde explained that Oyo State was reimbursed for investments it had already made in the programme, with the Federal Government merely facilitating this reimbursement process.
Makinde further mentioned that the World Bank had adopted Oyo State’s model for input distribution, which included biometric capturing of beneficiary farmers, as the standard for the NG-CARES programme. He, however, reaffirmed Oyo State’s commitment to transparency in all donor-assisted programmes.
Related
Politics
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.