The Apapa Local Government on Tuesday disbursed another 30 million to 300 residents in the third phase of the Apapa Constituency Residents’ Palliative Economic Generic Data (ACREPEGED) initiative, as part of efforts to cushion the impact of rising living costs.
The Chairman of Apapa Local Government, Hon. Idowu Adejumoke Senbanjo, disbursed the fund to the beneficiaries at the council’s premises, in Apapa.
She said 4,000 residents will benefit from the programme at its conclusion. The ACREPEGED is projected to gulp about 400 million when fully implemented.
Speaking during the third phase of the disbursement exercise, Senbanjo said the programme was deliberately structured in batches to ensure wider inclusion and transparent distribution of benefits among residents.
“So, today is the third round and third phase. As of today, we have given out to 900 people and all of them have received their money.”
The council boss explained that the decision to abandon food palliatives in favour of direct cash transfers followed feedback from residents who preferred financial support that could address their immediate personal needs.
According to her, beneficiaries are already deploying the funds toward rent, school fees, healthcare, small businesses and family responsibilities.
“Some of them are using it for business, some are using it for rent, some are using it to pay children’s school fees or meet different obligations,” she added.
Senbanjo disclosed that eligibility for the programme is based strictly on residency and voting status within Apapa, while a consultant was engaged to manage registration and verification processes to guarantee transparency.
She said the council had also introduced an identification-based database system to eliminate the recycling of beneficiaries often associated with previous welfare schemes.
Under the arrangement, she said registered residents are issued ID cards confirming their residency status, which will also serve as a database for future government intervention programmes.
“Because in the past, we noticed that we were just recycling the same people over and over again. But with this system we have now, we can spread out to more people at all times,” she stated.
Beyond cash support, the chairman revealed that the council had intensified efforts to expand healthcare access through partnerships with the Lagos State Health Management Agency, LASHMA, and federal health insurance programmes.
She said the council was targeting the enrolment of about 1,000 residents into health insurance schemes to reduce the burden of medical expenses on vulnerable households.
Medical Officer of Health for Apapa Local Government, According to her, beneficiaries under the health insurance programme would enjoy free healthcare services for one year, including access to medications and routine medical consultations.
She added that residents enrolled under the scheme would receive regular health reminders and be encouraged to undertake preventive medical check-ups even when not ill.