FG Starts N30,000 Grants To Drivers, Cart Pushers

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The Federal Government included commercial motorcyclists,
drivers, others artisans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in its
Economic Sustainability Plan to the transport sector.

They are expected to benefit from the transport support track
under the government’s MSME Survival Fund.

According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the Vice
President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, titled “FG
commences N30, 000 grants for taxi, bus, okada, keke NAPEP, Uber,
Bolt drivers and cart pushers,” the inauguration of the transport
track followed “the successful take-off of the artisans’ support
track on October 1.”

Akande added that while the artisans’ track is under the
Survival Fund, the transport track is a different scheme also under
the fund.

He said, “There will be a total of 9,009 beneficiaries per state
for both artisan and transport beneficiaries.

“Of this number per state, there will be a total of 4,505
beneficiaries under the transport scheme, while the remaining 4,504
will be artisan beneficiaries.

“For the transport track, Nigerians are encouraged to apply
through their registered associations to be enumerated, such as the
Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers, Keke Riders’ Association,
Okada Riders’ Associations and Unions, among others.

“All schemes are applied to beneficiaries on a first come first
serve basis.

“State focal persons, project field officers, enumerators and
others will work alongside the MSMEs Survival Fund Project Delivery
Office to properly identify and ensure that members of the
respective associations are paid.”

He added that the formalisation support scheme, which is about
the registration of 250,000 new businesses with the Corporate
Affairs Commission, commenced on the October 26, adding that the
scheme will run for three months.

According Akande while giving an update on the artisan track
being implemented in three streams said, as of November 25, a total
number of 59,000 individual artisan beneficiaries have been paid
across 24 states in Stream 1 and Stream 2 states.

The states include the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Ekiti,
Kaduna, Borno, Kano, Bauchi, Anambra, Abia, Rivers, Plateau, Delta,
Taraba, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Edo, Ogun, Ondo, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi,
Kwara, Enugu, Ebonyi.

He added, “The verification process for artisans under Stream 3
states commenced on Monday, November 30. Stream 3 states comprise
Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Zamfara, Yobe, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Niger,
Imo, Oyo, Osun, Jigawa, Gombe and Benue.

“Similarly, payment to beneficiaries under the Payroll Support
scheme for different categories of MSMEs, ranging from education,
hospitality to other sectors, has since commenced.

“The payroll support scheme, which is designed to support
vulnerable MSMEs, targets supporting 500,000 beneficiaries with
payment of up to N50,000 per employee for a period of three months,
starting from October. The disbursements to approved Payroll
Support beneficiaries commenced on November 17, 2020.

“So far, 207,319 individual beneficiaries drawn from 35,837
businesses/MSMEs nationwide have received their first monthly
payment from the Survival Fund’s Payroll Support Scheme.

“A breakdown of this figure shows that: N30,000 each was paid to
180,196 employees/Beneficiaries; while N50,000 each was paid to
26,353 employees/Beneficiaries. Out of this, 2.6 per cent of
beneficiaries are with special needs, while 43 per cent are female
employees/beneficiaries.”