Governance

Oyo Begins Use of Poverty Indicators to Expand Social Register

By Web News 265

By Nafiu Busari

The Oyo State Government has begun the pilot phase of using Multidimensional Poverty Indicators to expand the state’s Social Register under the EU-funded SUSI Project implemented with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.

Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Professor Musbau Babatunde, announced this while opening a State Technical Consultation Meeting with Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the Social Protection Technical Working Group.

Professor Babatunde said the meeting aims to strengthen coordination and improve the delivery of social protection programmes targeted at poor and vulnerable households.

He stressed that social protection is multidimensional and requires strong collaboration among all MDAs to ensure inclusiveness and sustainability.

He added that poverty-measurement criteria, budget allocation for the poor, and equitable resource distribution must be clearly defined and applied across all sectors.

The commissioner said Oyo State’s inclusion in the EU-SUSI Project represents another milestone in Governor Seyi Makinde’s commitment to sustainable development and human capital growth.

He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to data-driven, transparent social protection initiatives that “leave no one behind.”

Earlier, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Tunde Ayanleke, thanked UNICEF for its continuous support and commended Governor Makinde for approving a household survey that will strengthen data-driven planning and policy implementation.

State Coordinator of the Oyo State Operation Coordinating Unit (OYOSOCU), Mr Ismail Salami, said poverty in Nigeria should not be measured solely by monetary indicators.

He explained that the meeting was convened to agree on additional indicators that will make poverty measurement in Oyo State more accurate and inclusive.

Mr Salami said the programme aims to create a shock-responsive register that improves preparedness for future social and economic challenges.

He noted that the pilot phase is being implemented in four states — Oyo, Abia, Benue, and Sokoto — with ten local government areas selected in Oyo State.

Social Policy and Programme Manager at UNICEF Lagos Office, Mr Muhammad Okorie, said the European Union is the main sponsor of the Sustainable Social Protection Programme implemented through UNICEF in the four states.

He added that Oyo State is pioneering a new approach to social protection using Multidimensional Poverty Indicators for more targeted interventions.

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Economy

Makinde Kicks off Palliatives Distribution

By Web News 437

By Iyabo Adebisi

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state will Wednesday flag-off the distribution of palliatives to 200 thousand households in Oyo zone area of the state

The state commissioner of Budget and Planning, Professor Musbau Babatunde and Secretary of the 15-man Palliative Committee on Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Ibadan after the state’s executive meeting. 

He disclosed that households categorized as the poorest of the poor within the state would receive 10kg of rice each and 5kg of beans in a phased distribution process beginning from Thursday.

The total cost budgeted for the state palliatives is N8.63 billion and of the total cost, the state government shoulders N5.9 billion cost while the local government shoulders N2.6 billion.

According to Professor Musibaudeen, the palliative budgetary framework comprise various segments including food, food security (agropreneurs), security apparatus among others.

On his part, the commissioner for Information, Prince Forum Oyelade assured the residents of the state that the distribution would be handled with utmost sincerity and not be based on political. 

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Toyin Balogun also added that the pallatives which would come in batches is subject to feedback for transparency and accountability. 

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Education

Oyo Govt, FG, Moves to Support Girl Child Education

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Oyo State government says plans are in place for the implementation of the Girl Child Programme, targeted at girls between ages 16 and 24 years.

The initiative, according to the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Professor Musbau Babatunde is designed to comprehensively assist the girl child in the area of education concerns of girls across the country.

Professor Babatunde explained that the process of implementation would require the response of the girls resident in the state to a text message that would be sent to them.

“The main objective of the programme is to select nothing less than One Hundred and Fifty (150) female beneficiaries across the country who are between ages 16 and 24 years and have advanced in Senior Secondary School”, he said in a statement. 

The commissioner stated further that the program will be targeted at girls who had completed their senior secondary education with good grades in Mathematics and English, while their data would be mined from the National Social Register of the poor and vulnerable across the federation including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

He said the project would be supervised by the State Operations Coordinating Unit under the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

Professor Babatunde appealed to residents with active phone numbers to attend to the text message, when they receive any.

“The intervention will use the call centre through 969 to address complaints from potential beneficiaries”.

Oyo State Government will implement the project in collaboration with TYDO-Leadership Academy, the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) and Oyo State Operation Coordinating Unit (OYOSOCU).

Nafiu Busari

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