The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Thursday, called for a state driven social protection policy to address poverty in Anambra State.
The Deputy Executive Director, (ANEEJ), Mr Leo Atakpu, made the call at a two-day capacity building workshop for civil society organisations (CSOs) and media on Enhancing Social Protection Programmes in Nigeria, to support effort of government in tackling the hydra-headed poverty problem.
According to Atakpu, the federal government, and a few states initiated a couple of social Investment programmes including a Conditional Cash Transfer, School Feeding, and N-Power Programme, as a direct response to the poverty situation.
“We are calling for state-centric social protection programmes for Anambra, because from reports we have received on poverty spread in the country, Anambra is one of the state that has high number of people living in extreme poverty,” he noted.
A resource person for the programme, Dr Oscar Ubhenin, who is a lecturer at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, explained that social protection programmes provided security welfare for vulnerable groups, as well as protect them from hardship and livelihood risk.
Contributing, a member of Anambra State House of Assembly for Nnewi North, Hon. Smart Okafor, assured that the legislators would support legislations on social protection with a view to protect the poor and vulnerable.
Earlier, the Chairman, Anambra state Civil Society Network, Prince Chris Azor, Chairman, explained that the workshop would equip CSOs and media to monitor the implementation of the social protection programmes in the state for equity, transparency and accountability.
