Coalition calls for prioritizing social protection
By: Femi Mustapha
Kaduna State Social Protection and Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC) has called on the incumbent and the coming 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 Kaduna State has achieved some milestones in the social protection program 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 the commitment of all candidates to sustaining social protection as a tool to address multidimensional poverty,” she said.
Politicians present at the engagement include Kaduna South Local Government Federal Constituency candidate of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP) Bilal Adamu Halilu; Mohammed Mahmood Cheche of NNPP Kaduna South Local Government; and State Organizing Secretary of APC, Samuel Yohanna.
All the candidates signed a Pledge Card to prioritize Social Protection for women, children, persons with Disabilities, and senior citizens; support cash transfer programmes for poor households.
Others include; supporting social protection laws and policies that specifically protect the beneficiaries, including children, women, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups.
Commit to investing in social protection through sustainable funding, which will contribute to economic growth towards reducing multidimensional poverty.
