By Philip Yatai

The Kaduna State Government says the number of poor and vulnerable persons in its register increased by 28.57 per cent last year, as against that of year 2020.

Commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission (PBC), Mr Muhammad Sani-Abdullahi made this known in Kaduna on Wednesday at a one-day multi-sectoral meeting on the state social register.

Sani-Abdullahi, who was represented by Mrs Jummai Bako, Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, said that the figure rose from 2.1 million individuals in 2020, to 2.7 million as at Dec. 2021.

According to him, the total of 2.7 million persons captured in the State Social Register (SSR) in 2021 are from 680,888 poor and vulnerable households spread across the state.

He said that the SSR was a database of poor and vulnerable households being generated through credible processes to inform decision making and planning.

“As of today, a total of 680,888 poor and vulnerable households, consisting of 2.7 million individuals, have been captured in the register.

“This has placed Kaduna state among the top five states with highest data of poor and vulnerable in the country”, he said.

Sani-Abdullahi said the State Executive Council had approved the Social Register as the primary data source for all pro-poor interventions in the State.

He reiterated the state government’s commitment to ensuring that all interventions targeted at poor and vulnerable persons, were delivered in an inclusive and transparent manner.

Also, Mr Biya Dogon, Head of Operations, State Coordinating Operations Unit (SOCU), said that of the 2.7 million individuals, 1.3 were males and 1.4 females.

Dogon explained that while 2.7 million individuals were captured in the register, interventions would be directed to the 680,888 households.

He added that 2.5 million persons, representing 94.5 per cent, were from rural areas, while 131,041, representing 5.5 per cent, were from urban areas.

The official also said 46,952 out of the 2.7 million individuals in the register were persons with disabilities.

He said that so far, 208 political wards out of the 255 wards in the 23 local government areas of the state, had been covered, remaining 45 wards.

He also said that the register covered 7,186 out of the 11,000 communities in the state, remaining 3,914 communities.

Earlier, SOCU Coordinator, Mrs Nina Yakwal, said that the meeting was supported by the United Nations Children Fund to provide updates to Ministries, Department, Agencies and relevant stakeholders.

Yakwal said that the objective of the meeting was to Provide a consistent update on the progress and development being made on the Social Register.

She added that the meeting was also to create an avenue for sharing lessons and getting feedback from all key stakeholders in the state.

“The meeting was also organised to facilitate ownership and build trust on the data by all stakeholders.

“It is also to promote and increase the use of the register by all stakeholders to select beneficiaries for existing and upcoming social protection programmes,” she said.

Dr Wilfred Mamah, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna, commended SOCU for the efforts, stressing that the data was critical for planning and implementation of programmes targeting children.

Mamah said UNICEF would continue to support relevant MDAs in the state to strengthen data systems for effective interventions.

Similarly, Victor Ogharanduku, Social Protection specialisf, also commended the state government, stressing that the SSR was a dynamic tool for the social policy environment.

According to him, the register will ensure timely response to the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the state. (NAN)

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