The Sokoto State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU) has received Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to boost social protection initiatives across the state.
UNICEF is one of the implementing partners of the European Union-funded Sustainable and Inclusive Social Protection (EU-SUSI) Project in Nigeria.
During the handover ceremony on Saturday in Sokoto, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Mr. Michel Juma, explained that the gesture was aimed at strengthening the functionality of the National Social Register (NSR) and capturing more poor and vulnerable persons.
Juma restated UNICEF’s commitment to supporting governments at all levels in scaling up access to social protection programmes that would reach households in need.
UNICEF’s Social Policy Specialist, Mr. Ibrahim Isa, added that the EU-SUSI project seeks to enroll one million vulnerable households across four states Abia, Benue, Oyo, and Sokoto into the NSR before 2025.
He said each state was expected to contribute 250,000 households to the register, noting that in Sokoto alone, 3,041 previously unlisted communities would be covered in addition to the 877,047 households already captured.
“To achieve this, UNICEF has provided 200 tablets, 200 power banks, three laptops, and other logistics to facilitate seamless registration,” Isa said.
In his remarks, the State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Zayyana Abubakar, appreciated the donation and reaffirmed the state’s dedication to expanding social protection through ongoing initiatives.
He highlighted government interventions such as monthly stipends for persons with disabilities across the 23 LGAs, pension settlements, health insurance coverage, school feeding programmes, and other welfare packages for vulnerable groups.
According to him, the state has also conducted its own Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) survey to generate reliable data for policy planning, following concerns raised about the methodology of the 2022 national survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Abubakar noted that the latest intervention would play a vital role in extending the reach of social protection programmes to more households in need.
He further commended development partners and stakeholders for their continued collaboration, stressing that their support remains critical in shaping sustainable policies for vulnerable communities in Sokoto State.