…say govt ‘ll better identify social intervention beneficiaries

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue state says the integration of the National Identity Numbers, NIN, into the National/State Social Register would help the government better identify beneficiaries of social interventions in the state.

The Governor spoke Monday while declaring open a three day step-down training for desk officers, grievance regress officers and enumerators on State Social Register, SSR, Update and NIN Integration/Enrollment, organised by the Benue tate government through the State Operation Coordinating Unit, SOCU, and the Benue State Budget and Economic Planning Commission in collaboration with National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office, NASSCO, and National Identify Management Commission, NIMC.

While acknowledging the importance of the training the Governor noted that the presence of the trainees demonstrated their commitment “to improving national systems, and ensuring that our data-driven processes are more inclusive, accurate, and efficient as solicited by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government.”

Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Sam Ode, he pointed out that “the NIN is not just a number; it represents a fundamental part of our national identity. It is an essential tool that provides each citizen with a unique and verifiable identity in the digital and administrative systems of our country.

“The integration of this number into the Social Register is not just a technical advancement, but it is a leap towards making our social welfare programs more efficient, transparent, and accessible to everyone.

“Today marks a milestone in the journey of streamlining the way we manage citizen data and deliver services. By aligning the Social Register with the NIN, we are ensuring that the services we offer, reach the right people, in a way that is both inclusive and accurate. In other words, this integration will help us better identify, and track individuals who need assistance, reduce duplication, and ensure that the benefits of social programs are targeted to those who need them most.

“This indeed, is the yearning of our amiable Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth lormem Alia. The success of this initiative depends largely on your dedication and the quality of the work you put into this training. Over the next few days, you will be equipped with the tools, knowledge, and best practices needed to effectively incorporate the NIN into our existing systems. We will also delve into practical aspects, including how to securely handle and protect sensitive data, which is vital in maintaining public trust.”

The Director General, Benue State Budget and Economic Planning Commission, Prof. Jerome Andohol explained that the integration of the NIN into the National Social Register, NSR, was a presidential directive of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Ahmed Tinubu-led administration for the Federal Government’s Cash Transfer Programme for the poor and vulnerable people in Nigeria.

He noted that on assumption of office of the Governor Alia-led administration, “the number of Poor and Vulnerable Households, PVHHs on the Social Register was 417,743 while the number of individuals was 1,661,039.

“There has been tremendous improvement, in the update of this data, which has noticed increased number of PVHHs to 496,993 while the individual number has increased to 1,746,411. By implication, there has been added to the Social Register 79,250 PVHHs and 85, 372 individuals within the period of the Governor Alia-led administration.

“Observations overtime has shown that the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT, meant for the poor and vulnerable, do not clearly get to the targeted audience, due to lack of proper and clearly identified account details, and or unique identifiers, thereby shortchanging them of their legitimate benefits.

“The Federal Government in order to bridge this gap decided that all the potential beneficiaries whose names already existed in the social register, do have their account details linked with NIN.

The essence of this exercise therefore is for enumerators to be trained on the technology and modalities of integrating NIN to the account details of the list in the Social Register and collect/collate account details and NIN of those who did not have but already existed in the SR.

“This exercise is sacrosanct to our people benefiting from the Federal Government palliative to cushion the harsh effect of the fuel subsidy removal, and lift them out of poverty on the one side and create a financial inclusion and reduce cash in circulation. The onus is on you in ensuring that the right thing is done, so as to enable our people to benefit maximally from this rear opportunity provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”

The National Program Manager, National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office, NASSCO, Mrs. Funmi Olotu represented by the Head of Communications, Timilehin Ayodele-Ozoya emphasized that the initiative was a critical policy drive of the President Tinubu’s administration, “aimed at providing identity to the unlettered, poor, and vulnerable households across the country.

“The State Social Register, SSR, plays a vital role in our social safety-net programs, serving as a single, unified database for targeting and interventions. By integrating the NIN into the SSR, we will enhance the accuracy and efficiency of our targeting mechanisms, ensuring that the most vulnerable households receive the support they need.

Also, the State Coordinator, National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Magdalene Giweiohegbe said the collaboration with NASSCO was to show transparency in the exercise hinting that “the integration would help authenticate beneficiaries of social intervention “so that the assistance goes to the people who actually deserve it.”

The participants were drawn from the 23 Local Government Areas, LGAs, of the state.