By Hassan Zaggi
A coalition of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), have advised the federal and state governments against jettisoning the National Social Register( NSR), insisting that it will be counter-productive to Nigeria’s poverty reduction efforts.
The NSR is the database of Poor and Vulnerable Households (PVHHs) in Nigeria. It was designed to provide a reliable source of information that can be used to directly channel cash and other supports to the poor and the vulnerable in communities across the country for social protection and poverty alleviation.
Dr Walter Ugwuocha of the National Civil Society Forum Centre for Health Education Economic Rehabilitation and Social Security (CHEERS), stated this on behalf of the CSO Third Party Monitors (TPM), in Abuja on Monday.
He expressed concern and surprise regarding the announcement by the National Economic Council to jettison the National Social Register.
He emphasised that the NSR is a dependable tool for delivering social assistance programs and urged a reconsideration of the decision.
Dr. Ugwuocha pointed out that significant resources was invested by development partners, including the World Bank, in supporting the development of the NSR.
He, however, urged the National Economic Council to engage with and leverage the National Social Register to implement social assistance programs effectively and lift millions out of poverty.
He insisted that the NSR is a key instrument in the government’s efforts to address poverty in the country.
Dr. Ugwuocha further highlighted the use of technology to verify beneficiaries on NSR and presented the results of the NSR/NASSP verification conducted by CSO Third Party Monitors.
He explained the TPM’s use of an electronic-based Open Data Kit (ODK) and GPS coordinates to interview and verify sampled beneficiaries.
“It describes the process of scanning barcodes embedded with household information to validate beneficiaries.
“The TPM data collation was household-based and GPS tagged to ensure accuracy and adherence to international standards,” he said.
He explained that the findings of the TPM indicated that 1,112,723 beneficiaries (98.5 per cent of sampled beneficiaries) were verified and received cash transfers.
“It also highlights the reasons for non-payment of cash to some beneficiaries, attributed to logistics challenges faced by program implementers.
“The compliance with guidelines for the identification of poor and vulnerable households was found to be 90 per cent with successful community sensitization and engagement,” he said.
