From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
A civil society group, Kaduna Social Protection Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC), has appealed to the El-Rufai administration to approve the state’s Social Protection Policy Implementation Plan before the year runs out.
The state government had in February launched the social protection policy to address the vulnerability of the poorest residents by mitigating their social and economic shocks through celebrate actions.
According to the government, the idea was to have ‘a Kaduna State, where the poorest and most vulnerable residents are supported to live productive, fulfilling, and dignifying lives.’
Chairman of KADSPAC Jessica Bartholomew noted that the policy mapped out five measures to achieve the dream and objective of ensuring no citizen falls below the poverty line which are social assistance, social insurance, labour market intervention, social care, and legislation, regulations, and institutional framework.
‘A draft implementation had been developed as a systematic approach to the delivery of social protection intervention through the five measures to the residents of the state.
‘The plan, if approved, would set in motion steps towards fulfilling government commitment to give the poor and vulnerable in the state life of dignity.
‘However, the delay in the approval of the plan poses a serious challenge in achieving the dream of supporting the poor and vulnerable to live productive, fulfilling, and dignifying lives.
‘The first phase of the implementation plan which was expected to cover 2021 to 2023 would require N128.2 billion to implement.
‘The plan, if implemented, would provide N5,000 monthly allowance to 150,000, poor and vulnerable households, and N5,000 disability benefits to 50,000 persons with disability by 2023 under social assistance.
‘There will also be an N5,000 maternal and child cash transfer to support child health and nutrition to 50,000 infant and young children by 2023 also under social assistance intervention.
‘The plan also made provision for the establishment of an informal sector pension scheme and Kaduna State Social Protection Trust Fund under social insurance.
‘This is to prevent vulnerable households from risk and shocks that could force them into extreme poverty.’
The plan also made provision under labour market intervention, for the establishment of the Youth Agricultural Access Promotion Scheme to enable 150,000 young residents to transform their respective farming activities into thriving agribusinesses.
Under social care, the government planned to establish community-based case management, early warning, and referral mechanisms, to ensure that social protection interventions are integrated with community life.
‘The plan also provided measures to strengthen the social protection system with relevant institutional frameworks, legislation, and regulations, such as the establishment of the institutional and legal framework and establishment of social protection agency among others.
‘These are laudable initiatives which if implemented, would lift thousands of poor and vulnerable households out of poverty and significantly impact on the state human capital development drive,’ she detailed.