By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Thousands of residents of Cross River State who enrolled in the Federal Government’s Rapid Response Register, RRR, Programme at the weekend hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the N30,000 RRR cash alert to the vulnerables, who reside in the state.
The cash amount, which is supposed to be paid to the vulnerables at five thousand naira each per month is lumped into N30,000, covering a period of six months, is given to small and middle scale enterpreneurs to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic, which caused serious setbacks to businesses owners, thus throwing households into abject poverty and misery.
Findings by our reporter in Calabar revealed that many residents of Cross River State, irrespective of their ethnic origin, but who registered for the Rapid Response Register, RRR, Programme,last Monday began to receive cash pay of N30,000 which would be used to support their sources of livelihood.
A retail shop operator in Calabar metropolis, who claimed to have benefitted from the Federal Government’s RRR scheme, Mrs Veronica Etim, whose provision store is sited along Mbukpa road, Calabar South, averred that the cash she received was used to support her business, which she said was almost on the verge of total collapse.
According to one of the garri sellers in the state, Mr. John Usani, whose business premises is located at Ikono Street, off Mbukpa, Calabar South, his business has suddenly been energized, stressing that prior to the time he received the alert, his business almost crumble.
A petty trader, Mr Ndubisi Nelson, whose business outfit is sited at No 12 Off Calabar road, Essien Town, Calabar Municipal, claimed that without the money he would have been thrown out from business.
He said, “A lot of you would say how much is N30,000; but let me tell you that in business, nothing is small. I want to let you know that most of the big time businesses you see around town may have started very small, with very little capital outlay.”
Nelson who specializes in the processing of soya beans and wheat, including tiger nut to different foods like milk, cakes, vegetarian meals, stated that the money which was supposed to be N5,000 monthly, came in a lump sum of N30,000, covering six months.
He said that the money has really helped him to improve the quantity of his products and supplies to his customers.
Mrs Blessing Christopher, who resides at Eyoma street Calabar South, said that she used the money to rent two plots of farm land at Ikot Abasi Effiom, Akpabuyo Local Government Area to cultivate cassava.
Miss Hearient Egbonyi, a PhD student at the University of Cross River State said that she used the money to support her research work.
Another student in the same institurion, Miss Elizabethtown Eteng, said that she also used the money to support her education since she is self-sponsored.
In all, the recipients expressed joy for the opportunity to benefit from the program, adding that from now on they will take government programs serious as they never believed the information, even when they applied, because there were no cost attached.
This payment has created apprehension among those who did registered, but are yet to receive payment even when they were validated successfully.
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office are responsible for the sustainability of the programme, while, payment is handle directly by the Federal Ministry of Finance and payment is made directly to the beneficiaries’ account from Abuja.
In his remarks about the cash delivery to benefiaries, the Coordinator, State Operations Coordinating Unit, SOCU, Mr. Chris Anake, stated that activities for the involvement of more beneficiaries has not ended, stressing that very soon, another round of registration exercise shall commerce.
He said, “Itwould involve the use of motorcade, street campaigns, using televisions and radio announcement to create more awareness for people to participate in the registration exercise to enable them benefit.
“The condition for registration remain the same, no data or credit is required and any class of phone can be used for the application using any network of choice.”
