FG Launches Register for Poor, Vulnerable

The Federal Government has launched a community-based single register for the poor and vulnerable aimed at reducing extreme poverty in the country.

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo launched the register at the end of a three-day Social Protection Cross-Learning Conference in Abuja.

Osinbajo was represented at the conference by Mrs Maryam Uwais, the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment.

The Vice President said that about 120 million Nigerians, representing 60 per cent of the population, lived on less than two dollars per day.

“For us as a government, tackling this problem is crucial to ensuring inclusive growth where all Nigerians are part of the country’s development process.
“In our resolve to address this problem, we decided to formulate a National Social Safety Net Programme (NASSAP) which is a single register that would remove errors of inclusion and exclusion.

“ It will also insulate beneficiaries selection from political influence and traditional distortions,’’ Osinbajo said.

He added that the single register was established on the basis of a well-thought out community-based target approach where communities would be able to identify the poor households from among themselves.

Osinbajo said, a manual had been developed that would guide the establishment of the register of the poor, pointing out that, “it would guide them to ensure that State Governments, development partners and other interested organisations have confidence in the process.”

“This platform can then be utilised for their own interventions given our current limited resources, the need to maximise the benefits of the use of single register cannot be overemphasised.’’

Mr Muhammad Wudil, Chairman House Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Services, said that the committee was working hard to reduce poverty in the country.

Wudil disclosed that the committee had resolved to reduce poverty to minimal level within the next four years.

“We are working hard to meet the first target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on addressing poverty by supporting programmes that would create jobs and alleviate poverty,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, information obtained on the single register manual for poor and vulnerable indicate that it would redress the inability of previous efforts to address poverty.

The manual indicated that first round of the single register established across seven states of Bauchi, Cross River, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Osun and Oyo was a product of Youth Employment and Social Support Operations (YESSO).

The three-day conference was organised by National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO).

NASSCO is under the Office of the Vice President and it is working in collaboration with Youth Employment and Social Support Operation of the Federal Ministry of Finance. End.