News Investigators/ Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has called for sustained investment in Nigeria’s National Social Register (NSR), saying that social protection must go beyond statistics to transform lives of vulnerable households.
Mr Sule spoke on Monday in Lagos at a one-day stakeholder engagement with the theme: “Advancing Social Protection through the National Social Register”.
He said that Nasarawa, known for solid minerals and growing potential in oil and agriculture, had made remarkable strides in building its social register in spite of challenges.
“In Nasarawa, we have captured about 570,000 households in our social register, translating to nearly 1.9 million people in a state of just over three million.
” That is real progress, but more importantly, it shows the faces behind the numbers people you can see, touch and feel in their struggle with poverty,” Sule said.
The governor recalled how his administration first focused on the most marginalised, including Almajiri and people living with disabilities, when he assumed office in 2019.
“We started by supporting about 4,000 of them with just ₦5,000 monthly.
“Some thought it was little, but I was moved when they pooled their stipends together in what they called Adashi, and used it to start small businesses.
“Some even made shoes for me, and when they brought them to me, I was in tears.
“That experience reminded me that social protection is not about handouts, it is about dignity and opportunity,” he said.
According to him, the initiative has since grown to cover more than 6,000 beneficiaries who receive N10,000 monthly.
Mr Sule said that it had enabled female traders to expand businesses and enabled communities to build boreholes.
On national economic reforms, Sule lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to remove petrol subsidy and unify foreign exchange rate, describing the steps as bold and necessary.
“As someone who has worked in the oil and gas sector, I know the danger of subsidy and the distortions it created. Mr President has taken the right decision,” he said.
He, however, noted that the policies had short-term consequences, particularly for rural communities already battling inflation.
“In Lagos, you may not feel 32 per cent inflation, but in Nasarawa, Borno or Sokoto, it is closer to 42 per cent.
” That is why I opposed the proposed increase in VAT from seven to 10 per cent. Raising taxes in such an environment would have been devastating,” the governor said.
He commended the Tinubu-led administration and the National Assembly for reversing it.
“That decision saved poor Nigerians from further hardship.
“Today, inflation has dropped closer to 22 per cent. Without that intervention, it would have gone higher.”
The governor urged stakeholders, including development partners and the civil society, to keep faith with the NSR as a foundation for inclusive growth.
“Poverty eradication is not the job of government alone; it is also the responsibility of those who can afford to contribute.
“If we get this right, Nigeria will not just have a register; we will have a lifeline that restores hope,” Sule added.
NAN
