68 million Poor Nigerians Captured in National Social Register....

The National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) says it has so far captured more than 68 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians into the National Social Register (NSR).

NASSCO disclosed this on Tuesday in its verified social media handle on Instagram @nassco_nigeria.

The agency also explained that the figure represented a total of 19 million vulnerable households across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NSR is designed to create a comprehensive database of poor and vulnerable households in the country.

This is to assist government design, coordinate and integrate social safety-net programmes into social protection systems including the distribution of Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) to vulnerable Nigerians.

Funmi Olotu, the National Coordinator of NASSCO, said in her mission statement that the national social register would ensure that social protection initiatives are targeted, impactful and evidence-based.

”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.

However, some Nigerians have expressed mixed reaction over the process of disbursement of the CCT to beneficiaries.

Dantala Ahmed, an enrollee of the defunct N-Power Programme in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT, told NAN that the current distribution of N25,000 was not done in a transparent manner like the previous ones.

”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 the federal government will resume payment of N25,000 CCT,” he said.

On his part, Mohammed Awwal, a beneficiary of the N25, 000 CCT from Kpako Ward in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State offered a different view on the distribution of the CCT.

Mr Awwal said the process was transparent and digitalised in the sense that coordinators came to the electoral ward to register people with National Identity Numbers (NIN).

”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.

(NAN)