The federal government has commenced the development of a social register to capture the poor and vulnerable households in Benue state for the implementation of its cash transfer programme.
The National Coordinator, National Social Safety Coordinating office (NASCO), Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Iorwa Apera, disclosed this at a one-day Sensitization and Awareness Creation for relevant stakeholders in Benue state on Rapid Response Register (RRR).
Mr. Apera who spoke to journalists after the event explained that the social register is targeted at the poor and vulnerable households in the state to enable them have access to a number of federal government and other interest parties programmes and benefits including the cash transfer programme.
He said the programme is aimed at cushioning the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the poor and vulnerable households in the society.
According to him, the COVID-19 cash transfer for the urban poor is targeting about 36,000 people from Benue state from the targeted wards and will in the long run be expand to accommodate up to 100,000 poor and vulnerable households in the state.
“So all the beneficiaries of the cash transfer programme in the state are taken from the social register and the information can only be taken from the social register that we are developing,’ he said.
Speaking on criteria for selection, Apera pointed out that “the community members will sit among themselves to define poverty within the context of that community, go ahead to identify those households that are poor and vulnerable in their communities, then these individuals are registered unto the social register. So it is the community members that are picking the poor and vulnerable in their society.”
He commended the state government for their support for the team since they began work and advised Benue people to embrace the programme, support it and ensure that all identified poor and vulnerable households among them are entered into this register so they can benefit from all targeted programmes.
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He noted that other organizations like the UN women, UNDP, UNHCR working with his office are also identifying individuals from the register to provide support and help. “So I will ask the state to give it maximum support.”
Governor Samuel Ortom, said a compilation of the register is a right step in the right direction as it will help to capture and cater for the large number of poor and vulnerable households in the state.
According to him, Benue state has a large number of displaced persons; over 1 million of them, who are currently living in makeshift IDP camps and battling with conditions of distress, poverty and vulnerable conditions saying the criteria from selection will be applied.
He also called on those working on the register to take special note of those in the camps and ensure they are properly captured.
Ortom who was represented by the Director-General, Planning Commission, Mr. Sam Onum said the state is more concerned about the conditions that have created so much internal displacement, attacks, atrocities on communities and sacking of communities and would want the federal government to address the issues and create conditions for which the IDPs can return to their communities and continue with their activities and pursue their livelihoods.
