By Emeka Nwokocha
CSO Leaders Forum on Social Protection and Sustainable Development, on Wednesday April 3, 2024, held a retreat at Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja, to strengthen activities geared towards promoting social protection in Nigeria and reducing poverty.
The CSO Leaders Forum, in a communique issued at the retreat, commended President Tinubu’s government for providing palliatives to alleviate the excruciating poverty and scorching sufferings Nigerians are going through, especially the poorest of the poor, urging the government to sustain the gesture.
The CSOs Leaders Forum, however, frowned at the constant decline in the nation’s social protection programme evident in successive administrations, including President Tinubu’s government, adding that, “The level of poverty and inequality in the country is very high.”
The communique reads:
“The Forum commends the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for its efforts at bringing different kinds of palliatives to alleviate the poverty and sufferings of Nigerians especially the poorest of the poor. We urge President Tinubu to sustain this gesture.
“The Forum frowns at the constant decline of the nation’s social protection programme from successive administration to date.
“The Forum notes that the level of poverty and inequality is very high. Nigeria’s ranking on the United Nation Human Development Index (HDI) has been at all-time low. The 2022 index shows that Nigeria is placed at 161 out of 193 countries and territories as captured in the 2023-24 human development report released in March 2024.
“The Forum notes that the issues around the discrepancies identified in the social protection register has yet to be taken seriously and acted upon by the relevant authorities.
“The Forum also observed that since the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs as well as the National Coordinator of Social Investment Programme, there is no public knowledge on the status of the implementation of the social protection programme of the government.”
The communique proffered the following recommendations:
“The Forum enjoins the government to resuscitate and sustain the efforts at alleviating poverty and bring millions of Nigerians out of excruciating sufferings.
“The Forum urges the government to fully resume implementation of the social protection programmes introduced by the successive governments.
“Government should do everything within its powers to improve Nigeria’s social protection programme ratings.
“Government should respond to the people’s outcry on the credibility of the social register. The social register should be reviewed in order to truly capture and reflect the people who have been pushed into poverty as a result of the harsh and current economic realities occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy.
“We urge the government to work assiduously to address the discrepancies identified in the social protection register to capture accurately the data of those targeted by the programme.
“Nigeria’s social protection programme which is implemented in bits and pieces by different government agencies, should be strengthened and better coordinated in order to deliver the desired social protection programmes.”
The communique further stated:
“The CSO leaders Forum strongly believes that a major way to dealing with the challenges of poverty is the adoption and implementation of social protection policies and programmes.
“The government has a chance with history to strengthen and continue with the implementation of the programme particularly with the rate of poverty in the land.
“The Forum will continue to engage with key government institutions including the executive and legislative arms to provide knowledge and evidence based information required for government to make progress with the poverty reduction programme.
“The Forum called on Nigerians to keep faith, noting that government cannot afford to renege on the implementation of social protection programme at this time, but all that Nigerians need to do is to engage the issues from their little corners.”
Participants at the retreat include: Leo Atakpu – African Network for Environment and Economic Justice; Emmanuela Azu – Women Advocates, Research and Documentation Centre; Lawal Amodu – African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development; Funmi Akinyele – Food Basket Foundation Nigeria; Rommy Mom – Lawyers Alert; Otive Igbuzor -African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development; Nelson Nwafor – Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development; Tijani Abdulkareem- Socio Economic Research and Development Centre SERDEC; David Anyaele – Centre for Citizens with Disabilities; Y. Z Ya’U -Centre for Technology and Development; Faith Nwadishi – Centre for Transparency Advocacy; Egedegbe Edewor -Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative; Idris Miliki – Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution; Obialunanma Nnaobi-Ayodele – Meluibe Foundation; and Betram Ubaka – Persons With Disabilities Action Network (PEDANET).
Recall that the Civil Society Leaders Forum on Social Protection is made up of Civil Society Leaders of over 20 organisations who are committed to Social Protection for Nigerian citizens.
The Forum aims to articulate and project the wishes, voices and aspirations of citizens and citizen groups in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of social protection programmes. And the Forum’s approach to work is firmly anchored on the principles of co-creation and partnership between government and citizens promoted by the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
