NewsRescue
After over 50 years of abandoning the poor and less well to do, Nigeria is at last seriously embarking on developing its social safety net to provide welfare to the millions of disadvantaged citizens.
- A society that neglects its poor can never be rich. -NewsRescue
Official figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS put the figure of Nigerians in the poverty-destitution bracket, living under a dollar a day at 100 million. Typical poor Nigerians are unable to access basics of life, including food and healthcare. Medical emergencies are death sentences for the poorest Nigerians.
Towards these issues the Presidency has developed a Social Investments department under the office of the Vice President, Attorney Yemi Osinbajo. Working with global partners, the project to provide social safety to the poorest in all states is entering its execution stages after much research and organisation.
According to the Special Adviser on Social Investments, Mrs Maryam Uwais, as she discussed during her recent working visit to Beijing, China, the government has understudied various international models and already embarked on populating a nation-wide register for the prospective recipients of social aid.
Mrs Uwais explains that important steps have included the harmonizing of various existing social nets.
Working with the State governments, the office of Social protection will register, vet and begin the process of fund disbursement to qualified candidates on a periodic basis.
Maryam Uwais can be watched here:
