‘How Did You Transfer N750bn to People Without Phones?’ — Atiku Questions APC Chairman

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has questioned how the Federal Government identified and paid more than 10 million beneficiaries of its conditional cash transfer programme after APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda said many of them do not own mobile phones.

Yilwatda had recently said beneficiaries of the government’s N75,000 conditional cash transfer programme were largely poor and vulnerable Nigerians without phones, television sets or access to social media.

Reacting during his Independence Day address on Thursday, Atiku questioned how the government was able to identify, contact and pay the beneficiaries, particularly those living in parts of Borno and Yobe affected by insecurity.

He asked the government to explain whether the money was delivered physically to beneficiaries or paid through bank accounts. Atiku also called for records showing how the payments were made and who received them.

His comments came as he criticised the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which he accused of worsening the cost-of-living crisis since taking office in 2023.

Atiku said many Nigerian families were struggling to afford basic needs, with some allegedly reducing meals, postponing medical treatment and borrowing money to cope with rising living costs.

He also questioned Tinubu’s declaration in his Independence Day address that the period of economic emergency was over and that the country had entered an era of prosperity.

According to Atiku, announcing a new phase of economic development would not by itself improve the financial situation of households or increase workers’ purchasing power.

The dispute follows Yilwatda’s earlier defence of the government’s social intervention programmes and his explanation that many beneficiaries of the cash transfer scheme were people who had little or no access to digital platforms.

Atiku’s latest comments therefore focused on the process through which the beneficiaries were located and payments were made, particularly in areas where insecurity can make physical access difficult.

The former vice president has continued to criticise the Tinubu administration’s economic policies ahead of the 2027 general election, while the APC has defended the government’s reforms and social intervention measures.