
MANTRA Briefing Paper
In December 2017, the Swiss Government returned $322.5m looted by the late General Sani Abacha, to Nigeria. The monies otherwise came to be known as Abacha II. The recovered loot was channeled to finance the National Cash Transfer Programme by the federal government of Nigeria under the Nigeria National Social Safety Net Project (NASSP). NASSP is one of the social protection frameworks established by the federal government of Nigeria to achieve President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda to uplift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2023. It was established in 2016 with a strategic objective of providing access to targeted cash transfer to poor and vulnerable households under an expanded social safety net programme.
Currently in Nigeria the flagship programmes that are targeted to help the poor and vulnerable include: the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), implementing cash transfers to targeted vulnerable households; Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO), supporting vulnerable youths with life skills trainings, grants, and reorientation; and the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) providing grants to boost the development agenda of vulnerable communities. These programmes were encapsulated in the Government of Nigeria National Social Safety Nets Project (NASSP).