She solicited the patience of Nigerians, explaining that the agencies working on the modalities would brief the public on June 28, adding that the process for the payment will be transparent for civil society and the media to monitor.
She said despite oppositions against the MoU from within and outside government, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) and his team have pursued President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda of ensuring that the $322m was returned for deployment in the social safety nets project, which would make targeted transfers to the poor and vulnerable households.
“The poorest members of the community will be registered online, and before you make any payment, they must have an ID number so that every payment would be tracked. No amount will be paid out without a joint signature between Nigeria and the World Bank and without identification of individuals,” she said.
Ibekeaku-Nwagwu said President Buhari’s commitment to the Open Government Partnership during the London Summit in 2016 has enhanced transparency and accountability in government budgeting and contracting, adding that “If there is anything we have achieved its about getting Nigerian citizens to become conscious about what is happening with their money.”