LAGOS INAUGURATES 26-MEMBER SOCIAL PROTECTION STEERING COMMITTEE

Lagos State Government on Wednesday inaugurated a 26-member Social Protection Steering Committee to ensure that the State’s effort to improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable through the utilisation of the Single Social Register is achieved. 

The Committee, which was inaugurated at the Conference room of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, would be chaired by the Ministry’s Commissioner, Mr. Ope George, which also has some of his counterparts and top officials as members including Mr. Akinyemi Ajigbotafe (Wealth Creation and Employment); Ms. Abisola Olusanya (Agriculture); Mrs. Bolaji Cecilia Dada (Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation) and Mr. Gbenga Omotoso (Information and Strategy), among others.

George, while inaugurating the Committee said: “Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has emphasised his commitment to positively impact the lives of Lagosians, with over 20 socio-functional MDAs, 90 social interventions, and N140B in budgetary allocations, as such, there is a clear need for coordinated social protection efforts.

“The State’s commitment includes a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government and World Bank for the $800m National Social Safety-Nets Project Scale-Up NASSP-SU, which provides financial support to vulnerable households.

“The Lagos State Social Protection Policy, approved in 2020, aims for improved livelihoods, health, education, gender equality, youth employment, and overall human capital development”, he added.

According to him, the Lagos State Social Protection Council will oversee the implementation of policies and programmes for the vulnerable. The newly established Social Protection Coordinating Department will coordinate efforts, recognise the Lagos State Single Social Register as a state asset, ensure resource mobilisation, foster partnerships, monitor initiatives and advocate for policy reforms.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC Lagos State Council, Comrade Agnes Sessi said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in furtherance of his THEMES Plus Agenda in ensuring Social Protection for Lagosians, would empower many people in diverse areas, the vulnerable, the elderly, the unemployed and even those in the informal sector.

“With the Social Protection Steering Committee that has been inaugurated today, we will see the rollout of many of the Social Protection policies and implementation”, she said.

Appreciating the efforts of Governor Sanwo-Olu led administration in ameliorating the livelihood of Lagosians, especially in these hard times, the NLC comrade said the initiative would help a lot in building a better country if other Governors can emulate him in paying all Pensioners’ backlogs up-to-date contrary to what obtains in many other states. 

Earlier in his welcome address, the Coordinating Director, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Emmanuel Olajide explained that the inauguration of the steering committee is a prerequisite for achieving coordination and collaboration, aimed at expanding coverage of shock-responsive safety nets, and support for the poor and vulnerable.

Educating the members of the committee on the Lagos Single Social Register (LSSR) as a State asset which would be supervised by Social Focal Persons in MDAs for implementation of social protection purposes, Mrs. Kemi Adedeji, Director of Social Protection Coordinating Department (SPDC), said the LSSR has covered about 70 percent of communities in the State.

The Committee deliberated and agreed that the Social Register is a dynamic process, hence, it charged the SPDC to keep checks and validate the LSSR from time to time to ensure that the right target in the communities is met as beneficiaries of the various palliatives and support that would be coming from the state government.