Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has formally launched the Support for Sustainable and Innovative Social Protection Systems In Nigeria, an EU-funded Social Program aimed at improving the livelihood of the vulnerable groups.
Governor Otti equally inaugurated the Abia state social Protection Council with the Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu as Chairman with members drawn from Frontline MDAS of Abia state, Civil Society Groups, Religious bodies including the Ag. Director General of the BCA, Mr Francis Nwaubani.
Speaking during the program launch at the Banquet Hall, Government House Umuahia, Governor Alex Otti commended the European Union for its committed support to the social and economic development of Abia and Nigeria at large.
Governor Otti who titled his speech, “Victory Through Partnership,” said that the event is very significant as it sends a clear message to the world that Abia is seriously committed to partnering multinational development institutions to achieving aspirations that protect and restore the dignity of the human person.
Governor Otti noted that the EU’s interventions in health, education, environment, energy and large scale support for vulnerable people have greatly improved the social and economic experience of tens of thousands of individuals and families and appreciated the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Gautier Mignot, for the choice of Abia as one of the pilot states for the project.
He commended the UNICEF and International Labour Organization partnership with the state government towards the successful delivery of the project, adding that the partnership will boost stakeholders confidence in the project and offer the people the platform to learn and grow their capacity.
The State Chief Executive while noting that his administration does not treat poverty and social deprivation as isolated events, noted that his administration set up well-structured platforms like the Abia state ministry of Poverty Alleviation and social protection, the Abia state Commission for the welfare of Disabled Persons and the Abia state Senior Citizen Center to drive the state’s social protection Programs.
He expressed the hope that the recently inaugurated social protection Council will further broaden the scope and reach of the state’s efforts to carter for vulnerable groups across communities in the state.
In his remarks, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS Ambassador, Gautier Mignot, said the project which is in partnership with International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF in Nigeria will span for over three years, adding that the 13 Million Euros funded project, being implemented by UNICEF and ILO in four states of the federation including Abia is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s social protection system, expand coverage for the most vulnerable and ensure no one is left behind.
He said that Investment in social protection complements the EU’s shared goals in education, health, gender equality and economic development, noting that when a family has access to safety nets, it reduces inequality and poverty level.
Speaking, the UNICEF Chief of Field Services, Judith Leveillee, while expressing joy to be a partner in the implementation of the Social Protection System Strengthening Project with her sister agency, the International Labour Organization, said they are committed to the full implementation of the program in the state.
She said that the Social protection system is not just a safety net, but a springboard that allows people to live with dignity, describing it as a project that allows children, vulnerable people to grow out of poverty and thrive.
In her speech, the Country Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dr. Vanessa Lerato Phala-Moyo, said that the project speaks to the vision of Governor Otti in the new roadmap of the new Abia and to the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that the organization will partner the UNICEF to implementing and providing social safety nets so as to catch the most vulnerable in the society.
Earlier, the Abia State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs Blessing Felix, said that the 36-months programme is designed to deliver 4 key results, including the expansion and updating of the state social register to ensure that it integrates more poor and vulnerable households into the register.
The event featured the handover of I.T equipment to the Governor by the EU Ambassador to aid in updating the state’s social register.
