Ondo State Government and UNICEF have proposed a Social Protection Bill, which is now before the House of Assembly for passage into law.
In a statement made available to THE PRECISION and signed by the Press Officer, Ondo State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Sola Omoboyowa, noted that the Governor of Ondo state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu stated this while welcoming participants to a 3-day study tour of 15 States of the Federation to the State tagged Accelerating Social Protection Study Tour .
“We have keyed into the Federal Government’s social investment programme (school feeding programme, conditional cash transfers and entrepreneurial schemes).
It is our fervent belief that the National Social Protection Policy (NSPP), when passed into law at the Federal level, and accepted by relevant stakeholders, it will provide a framework for a mix of policies and programmes on social protection which will cater for individuals and households throughout their life cycles” he said.
“These well-reasoned policies will reduce poverty and socio-economic discontent. It also possesses the inherent capability to promote and enhance sustainable livelihood and citizens’ right to a life of dignity”.
He said that the effect of all these initiatives at the Federal and State levels will be the provision of a gender-sensitive and age-appropriate framework which ensures a minimum social protection platform for all Nigerian citizens ,adding that it provides a basic guarantee for accessing social services.
The Governor commended the efforts of UNICEF Akure Field Office led by the Chief of Field Office, Mr Tejinder Singh Sandhu for the development of the document on Social Protection, to the drafting of the Bill, through the constitution of Technical Work Group on Social Protection.
Mr Akeredolu also lauded UNICEF for been supportive without reservation and expressed profound gratitude to the UNICEF Family in Nigeria for a job well done.
He further promised that Ondo State will continue to cooperate with the international body to ensure the realization of it’s goals for the State in particular and the country in general.
Arakunrin Akeredolu also charged participants to pay attention to the important event, while inviting the participants to visit various places of interest during their tour and urged them to share their opinions on our various projects and initiatives.
In his remarks, UNICEF Chief of field office, Tejinder Singh Sandhu,said the purpose of the tour was to under study various social protection programmes of Ondo State and show case what the State Government has done in alleviating poverty in the State,which he said could be replicated in their various States.
In the same vein , the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget Ondo State, Mr Chris Kolawole said the State Government has done much in providing social protection services to the citizens of the State ranging from free shuttle buses provided by the State to convey students to and from school.
The Permanent Secretary also added that the success recorded in reducing child and maternal deaths in the State through ‘abiye’ progrmme and the mother and child hospital,where pregnant women are taking care of from conception to day of delivery free of charge.
Mr Kolawole noted that the various social protection programmes of the State Government was aimed at making life easy and better for the people of the State.
Participants were drawn from Adamawa; Akwa Ibom; Anambra; Bayelsa; Benue; Delta; Enugu; and Katsina.
Others are Kebbi; Lagos; Osun; Rivers; Sokoto and Zamfara
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