NOA/NASSCO STRATEGIES FOR SOCIAL SAFETY NETS

As part of efforts to create awareness on the Federal Government’s Social Safety Nets Programmes for the poor and vulnerable citizens of the society, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) are strategizing to mobilize citizens to participate in the programme.

The Director-General, NOA, Dr. Garba Abari and the National Coordinator of NASSCO, Apera Iorwa, met today in Abuja to ensure wider coverage of the programme. So far 33 States and FCT have been covered by the targeted aspects of the programme. The hope is that by June the remaining 3 states will join the programme.

According to Abari, the collaboration between the two has been in existence for a long time but there are challenges to tackle for the progress of the programme for national development.

He said it is in line with the mandate of NOA as a citizen engagement Agency to mobilize citizens for government programmes and policies and illicit feedback for policy formulation and execution. The DG NOA said the Agency has presence in all LGAs and communicate in different Nigerian languages and also has a robust platforms on social media, interactions with religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil societies organizations (CSO).

In his remarks, the National Coordinator, NASSCO, Apera Iorwa said the NASSCO was riding on the existing understanding between the NOA and Social Investment Office to create awareness on compiling a register of the poor and vulnerable through community based Social Intervention Programme such as the Social Safety Nets.

Iorwa said the NASSCO programmes are encapsulated into four which are meant to substantially provide succor for the more than 46.5% Nigerians who live below poverty line.

The National Coordinator NASSCO said the visit was to leverage on NOA platforms and grassroot mobilization mechanisms for information dissemination.