Kaduna records 2.3m poor, vulnerable residents

Kaduna state has identified 2,366,753 individuals from 607,974 poor and vulnerable households in the state and captured them into the National Social Register (NSR).

The coordinator, Kaduna state Operation Coordinating Unit (KADSOCU), National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), Mrs. Dawong Nina Yakwal, gave the statistics Friday in a presentation during the 2nd quarterly roundtable media engagement on the status of the State Social Register (SSR) in Kaduna.

Kaduna state is now one of the top three states in the country in terms of data generated in the register, following Kebbi and Zamfara states, while Jigawa state came fourth. Previously, it was difficult for governments, development partners, donor agencies and philanthropists to get data for any intervention targeted at poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

The co-convener and executive director, JALAD Media Concept, Mr. Joshua James, said the one-day media engagement became necessary “because Kaduna as a subscriber of the international accountability platform called Open Government Partnership (OGP) needs to open more space for the media as a deliberate plan to improve government and citizens engagement which will, in turn, rebuild the lost trust between the lead and the led.”

The Commissioner, Planning and Budget Commission, Mr. Thomas Gyang, noted that the social register would continue to be helpful in the promotion of inclusiveness in the delivery of social protection interventions and programmes in Kaduna state.

Gyang, who was represented by the acting permanent secretary in the Commission, Mrs. Jumai Bako, restated the commitment of the administration of Governor Nasir el-Rufai towards continuous support to partners who want to be part of the administration’s mandate of putting people first.

He commended the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development under, Hajiya Sadiya Mohammed Farouq, for their support in ensuring timely funding of the community-based targeting (CBT) process which led to the generation of usable social register in the state.