Oyo State SURE-P Responds to Allegations of Delay in Payment of Funds to Beneficiaries

Chairman of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Dr Christopher Kolade
Chairman of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Dr Christopher Kolade

A press statement issued by Oyo State SURE-P on the delay in the payment of allowances of beneficiaries of the programme from the state has revealed that the allowances of beneficiaries of the programme are paid directly into their accounts by the Federal Government, contrary to speculations in some quarters.

According to the statement, signed by the Chief Information Officer to Oyo SURE-P, Mr Akin Adelusi, “allowances of the beneficiaries of the programme are not paid to any of the officials’ account as rumoured by some people… I wish to point out here that the chairman, Oyo State SURE-P, Mr Dare Adeleke, has no direct access to the allowances which are paid directly into beneficiaries accounts by the Federal Government, let alone putting it in a fixed account,” the statement stated.

The statement read further: “Having completed the necessary documentation and verification by SURE-P office in Oyo State and same sent to Abuja for payment, I can say with authority that the allowance will be paid as soon as possible… I am directed to appeal to the beneficiaries to excise reasonable patience and refrain from spreading rumours that can destroy the good intention of the Federal Government in the state while all bottlenecks are removed.”

It will be recalled that SURE-P was introduced by the Federal Government to mitigate the impact of the partial subsidy discontinuation policy on the poor and vulnerable as well as to lay the foundation for building a robust social safety net mechanism in the country. Presently, SURE-P is an ad hoc programme and that is why its beneficiaries are only given one year to participate after which they will be relieved.