By Gbolahan Salman, Sokoto
The Sokoto State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, in collaboration with UNICEF and the European Union Sustainable and Inclusive Social Protection (EU-SUSI) project, has organized a one-day stakeholders’ meeting aimed at reviewing the National Social Protection Policy and updating the National Social Register.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad Zayyana, explained that the initiative was critical to addressing multidimensional poverty in the state. He disclosed that the state had recently conducted its own Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) survey to provide updated data, following concerns over the methodology of the 2022 national survey by the National Bureau of Statistics.
“We want to ensure that our interventions are guided by reliable data. The Sokoto State Bureau of Statistics, with support from Redware, has conducted a fresh MPI survey approved by His Excellency, Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, to assess poverty levels and track changes since 2022,” Dr. Zayyana said.
He added that the state government was adopting a bottom-up approach, focusing on ward-level data collection to design policies that directly address poverty from the grassroots.
On his part, UNICEF’s Social Policy Specialist, Ibrahim Isa, said the EU-SUSI programme, being implemented by UNICEF, is targeting the enrollment of one million poor and vulnerable households from four states—Abia, Benue, Oyo, and Sokoto—into the National Social Register before the end of the year. Each state is expected to contribute 250,000 households.
“In Sokoto alone, UNICEF aims to cover 3,041 previously unlisted communities, in addition to the 877,047 households already captured in the national register.
“To support this effort, UNICEF is providing 200 tablets, 200 power banks, three laptops, and other logistics to facilitate smooth operations,” Isa noted.
He commended the Sokoto State Government for its commitment to social protection through various initiatives, including monthly cash transfers to persons with disabilities across the 23 LGAs, school feeding programmes, pension payments, health insurance coverage, and support for retired civil servants.
However, Isa appealed for increased government support, highlighting that the Sokoto State Coordinating Operations Unit (SOCU) lacks operational vehicles and additional equipment for field enumerators.
“Unlike other EU-SUSI states, Sokoto SOCU has no official vehicles for fieldwork. We are urging the state to provide operational support and procure additional logistics such as 16 more tablets and power banks to strengthen the work of the 216 enumerators,” he added.
The partnership is expected to significantly expand access to federal and state-managed social protection programmes for vulnerable households in Sokoto, thereby strengthening the fight against poverty and inequality in the state.
