Residents of Ero Community in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State have raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the selection of beneficiaries under the Federal Government’s conditional cash transfer programme, Renewed Hope.

Community members claim that the names of deceased individuals were included on beneficiary lists, while many living residents who registered were excluded.

The concerns emerged during a one-day outreach of the Act Naija! Project – Civil Society Action to Strengthen Social Protection in Nigeria, implemented by a consortium of three NGOs, the New Initiative for Social Development (NISD), Bread for the World, and the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), and co-funded by the European Union.

The initiative, which runs for three years, seeks to promote transparency, inclusion, and accountability in the delivery of social protection services across selected states.

Speaking during the outreach, Chief Imam Lekan Akinlolu, community leader Alhaji Lateef Ogunlala, and other residents decried poor civic education and the opaque methods used by government agencies in selecting beneficiaries.

“When officials came earlier this year to collate names, we were shocked that the final list predominantly included deceased individuals, while the living who registered were left out,” Ogunlala said.

The residents called for accountability, transparency, and unbiased procedures from all Ministries and Agencies managing social protection programmes in the state to ensure that all eligible households benefit.

Some beneficiaries who have successfully accessed federal and state social protection programmes also shared their experiences and challenges, highlighting the importance of community engagement and participation.

Responding to the concerns, Bankole Olaoluwa, State Coordinator of the State Operation Coordinating Unit (SOCU), represented by Oladoyinbo Edward, assured residents that efforts are underway to expand the state’s social register to accommodate more eligible households.

He urged residents to participate actively in community engagements, stressing that the programme is non-political and intended strictly for vulnerable households.

“Social protection is every citizen’s right, and we will do everything to ensure everyone gets what they deserve,” Edward said.

Mr. Joshua Olawole of the National Cash Transfer Office also outlined various safety-net programmes and highlighted the role of the social register in identifying vulnerable individuals, including the elderly and persons with disabilities.

https://guardian.ng/news/ondo-residents-allege-irregularities-in-fgs-conditional-cash-transfer

The Ekiti State government, New Initiative for Social Development (NISD) and other stakeholders have advocated more action and strategies towards strengthening the social protection system in the state.

This was the resolution during the State Level Dialogue on Social Protection under the project tagged: ‘ACT NAIJA’, organised by the New Initiative for Social Development (NISD) in partnership with the Ekiti State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

The programme, themed ‘Strengthening Social Protection Prevention in Ekiti State’, is co-funded by the European Union and is being implemented by the consortium of three partners, New Initiative for Social Development (NISD, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), and Bread for the World (BfTW), Germany.

Speaking, the Program Officer of NISD, Rachael Olori, said the project was organised in Ekiti state, like other states, to bridge the gap and help citizens to access the government’s social protection programmes.

Expressing worry over the level of ignorance among the citizens of the social protection programmes, she called for a collective action to implement the social protection law and improve the standard of living of the vulnerable in the state.

He said, “Using Ekiti State as a reference, most people do not know how to access social protection. Most people are unaware of what social protection programs exist in the state for them, or how to engage with them.

“Our goal for this project is to bridge that gap to help with policy frameworks and strengthen the implementation of social protection in Ekiti State and across all other implementing states in Nigeria.

“To raise awareness, we understand that we cannot do it alone, and the government cannot do it alone either. That’s why we have stakeholders.

“Here in Ekiti State, we have chosen to work with the Ministry of Human Affairs to push forward the agenda of social protection.

“We plan to carry out multiple activities for this purpose. Going forward, we will engage more of our stakeholders present here today.”

Read the details…https://tribuneonlineng.com/stakeholders-demand-more-action-to-strengthen-social-protection-systems-in-ekiti/

As part of effort to enhance social protection interventions in Ekiti State, the New Initiative For Social Development in partnership with the Ekiti State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development under the ACT NAIJA Project co-funded by the European Union and being Implemented by the consortium of three partners namely; New Initiative for Social Development (NISD, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), and Bread for the World (BfTW), Germany held one day state level dialogue

Watch the rest of the story…https://www.youtube.com/embed/j0MbGMRGWc4

Urges CSOs to do more

The British Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria – Jonny Baxter has charged Nigerian Civil Society Organizations especially in Ekiti State to take the issue of women inclusion as top priority as it is a walkway to economic freedom for the nation.

Johnny stated this at the dinner organized by his office with some leaders of Civil Society Organizations in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

According to him “Gender equality is now part of the world order, symbolic to balanced society which creates a freedom for all to express their inherent and God-given talents both in potential and actual”, he said.

He therefore charged all the civil society organizations in Nigeria and Ekiti state in particular to place high premium on the cause of Gender-based violence prevention, Gender equality, Inclusion, Transparency and Accountability.

“I think it is high time we all had a recourse to the full care and well-being of women in this modern time in terms of inclusion and gender equality because it is a walkway to economic freedom for any nation that values and practices it,” he concluded.

Deputy High Commissioner noted further that the amount of attention given to the women will be determined by the progress that would be recorded, adding that every woman is big plus to their nation’s sectors given to their multitasking talent which has capacity to produce chain of positive-multiplier effects

Responding to the charge on behalf of the New Initiative For Social Development, the program officer, Rachel Olori explained that women’s cause has always been a core thematic focus of the organization while assuring Jonny a more conscious effort towards the direction.