According to the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), over 68 million vulnerable and impoverished Nigerians have been added to the National Social Register (NSR) thus far.
On Tuesday, NASSCO revealed this on nassco_nigeria, its verified Instagram profile.
Additionally, the agency clarified that the number reflected 19 million households in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that were at risk.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the goal of the NSR is to compile a thorough database of the nation’s vulnerable and impoverished households.
This would help the government create, plan, and incorporate social safety-net initiatives into social protection systems, such as giving vulnerable Nigerians Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT).
on her mission statement, Ms. Funmi Olotu, the National Coordinator of NASSCO, stated that the national social register would guarantee that social protection programs are impactful, targeted, and grounded on evidence.
“Our goal is not just to help, but to create a lasting platform that empowers families and communities to overcome the daily challenges they face.
”We are committed to transparency,’’ she said.
Some Nigerians, however, have had conflicting opinions about how the CCT is being distributed to recipients.
Mr. Dantala Ahmed, a participant in the now-defunct N-Power Program in the FCT’s Gwagwalada Area Council, told NAN that the N25,000 distribution was not carried out in the same transparent way as in the past.
”In 2019, we were given physical cash because the coordinators came down to Gwagwalada and we were asked to queue-up. Once your name appears in the register, you will be called to collect the money.
“But now, we are living in the dark; we don’t know what is going on. Sometimes we just see adverts on social media that Federal Government will resume payment of N25,000 CCT,” he said.
Mr. Mohammed Awwal, a recipient of the N25,000 CCT from Niger State’s Kpako Ward in the Suleja Local Government Area, provided an alternative perspective on the CCT distribution, stating that coordinators visited electoral wards to register individuals with National Identity Numbers (NINs) and that the process was transparent and digitalized.
”As a beneficiary of the N25,000 CCT, I can attest to the fact that the process is transparent, because the coordinators came to our ward, registered us with our NIN and gave us ATM Cards.
”As I am talking to you now, I received N25,000 in January this year and they said the total money is N75,000 and they will pay it in three tranches.
”So, I think what the government wants to do is to digitalise the system and avoid the process of giving people physical cash to ensure accountability, he said.
