As part of efforts to further implement the Lagos State Social Protection Policy, designed to support the vulnerable through several intervention programmes, the State Government through the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Social Protection Policy, reiterated its commitment to empowering vulnerable groups and will embark on a Social Protection, Stakeholders’ Sensitization and Advocacy Programme, tagged: “IBILE SP Campaign” across the five divisions of the State starting next week.
The goal of the campaign is to increase public awareness about the State Social Protection Programmes and raise awareness about the State Single Social Register.
Speaking during a media appearance on Radio Lagos 107.5 FM’s flagship programme “Ojutaye” on Tuesday, the Coordinating Director of the Social Protection Coordinating Department, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs. Oluwakemi Gabadeen Adedeji, explained that the Department has the mandate to handle matters about the protection of vulnerable persons in Lagos State.
“We are in charge of the Single Social Register so we have comprehensive data of vulnerable persons to ascertain which specific help they require. This is because Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is passionate about the welfare of citizens”, she said.
Adedeji further stated that the Department works with various MDAs to achieve its set objectives, saying “We have an Inter-Ministerial Committee in place comprising 33 MDAs. However, we have 20 core ones, including Ministries of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Information and Strategy, and Agriculture and Food Security, among others. Therefore, we work hand-in-hand with them to raise awareness on these Social Protection Policy initiatives by the Sanwo-Olu Administration”.
Shedding more light on how to avoid duplicity of vulnerable persons seeking help multiple times from the various Social Protection Policy initiatives of the Lagos State Government, the
Director explained that the Social Protection Coordinating Department has a unique reference number for each applicant as a means to checkmate multiple applications and ensure that these interventions have a wide spread.
She also noted that the department partners with agencies such as UNICEF and holds seminars and workshops for the beneficiaries of these interventions periodically. “At the Department, we have a tracking unit which allows us to efficiently monitor these things. This is the reason why we will be embarking on an IBILE Social Protection Awareness Campaign tour next week to further bring the message closer to the people.”
Also speaking on the programme, the Director of Women Affairs, WAPA, Mrs. Olufunke Shyllon, explained that the key concentration areas of the Ministry include catering to the needs of vulnerable people such as widows, unemployed women and out-of-school children. Therefore, it is important to announce that many residents are beneficiaries of these initiatives by the State Government.
The IBILE Social Protection Awareness Campaign to Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe, respectively, is scheduled to hold from 19th to 28th November 2024.
