Coalition calls for prioritization of social protection

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Kaduna State Social Protection and Accountability Coalition, (KADSPAC) has called on the incumbent and the incoming Government in Kaduna to continue to prioritize Social Protection in order to uplift Nigerians especially the vulnerable from poverty and other hazards.

Chairperson of the Coalition, Jessica Bartholomew, stated this during a senatorial town hall meeting on Social Electoral campaign advocacy organized by a coalition of social protection CSOs and partners in collaboration with KADSPAC and supported by Save the Children International in Kaduna yesterday.

According to her, Social protection is rapidly becoming a key component of development policy, and there are three main approaches which include; Social insurance, social assistance; and labour market regulation.

She said the Kaduna State has achieved some milestones in the social protection programme and it is necessary to ensure its sustainability after the 2023 election.

Bartholomew said some of the objectives of the meeting were:

“To create demand on citizen participation in governance as central to institutionalizing and implementing a robust shock responsive and inclusive social protection agenda.

“To engage political parties and their candidates on the need to prioritize their agenda and make commitments to support the design, financing and implementation of shock-responsive social protection when and if elected into office.

“To create a platform where political parties, political candidates and the electorate would have a meeting point where there are “”Asks” and “Offers” between the candidates/political parties and the citizens.

“To get commitment of all candidates to sustaining social protection as a tool to addressing multidimensional poverty,” she said.