Worried by the manner the poor in the society are brazenly exposed to social insecurity by the powers-that-be across Africa and particularly, Nigeria, the Country Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria, Cristine Munduate, has counselled the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, to urgently address the fragile economic situation in the country to ease the financial hardships being faced by families in many conflict-affected areas.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday in Ibadan on the maiden conference organized by the “Conflict Research Network, West Africa” (CORN), themed: “Social Protection and Economic Uncertainties in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Societies,” Munduate told Tinubu that the FG “must address the pressing issue of economic uncertainty in fragile and conflict-affected societies in Nigeria and support other governments to define social protection measures relevant to the needs of the citizens, the financial hardships faced by families in such regions that exacerbate the already daunting challenges.”

While Dr Tarila Marclint Ebiede of CORN advised President Tinubu not to allow the social protection policy under his watch to be hijacked by the instruments of politics, Mr. Chris Pycroft, Development Director of the British High Commission, also said that “social protection systems that support a range of human development outcomes that are carefully targeted to support those most in need, and operate at scale to prevent individuals and communities from falling behind, are highly effective at mitigating the unprecedented risks”

He said that the operation of social protection policy in the country seems to be at risk of such political hijack, thereby denying the vulnerable the inherent benefit of social protection intervention.

Professor Remi Aiyede, a political scientist at the University of Ibadan who is also the Research and Policy Uptake Lead, Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), Nairobi, Kenya, was more specific as he had recourse to the palliatives proposed by the Government following the removal of petroleum saying that “palliatives must not be distributed as patronage to party members. They should be properly targeted to the poorest of the poor”.

Apparently lampooning the controversial purchase of an N160m SUV for each of the National Assembly members, Aiyede said: “It is insensitive and provocative for government officials to be involved in conspicuous spending that reinforces self-aggrandizement in the face of belt-tightening and hunger by the majority of citizens.

“It must be emphasized that the recent focus of social protection on cash transfers is inadequate to achieve the required transformation of social conditions that the developmental state is expected to bring about.

“Cash transfers and other social assistance programmes focus on chronic poverty and often neglect the issues of inequality.

“The goal of social protection under the developmental state is to achieve shared prosperity by building an inclusive society,” he said. (New Telegraph)

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