SPECIAL REPORT Kaduna Social Security Bill: Not Yet Uhuru

By Femi Oyelola

It was an celebration galore among citizens especially the poor and vulnerable as well as the civil society organizations (CSOs) in Kaduna state as the 9th House of Assembly passed the State Social Security Bill as one of the six bills to wrap up its sitting on 6th of June, 2023.

Reacting to the passage of the bill, the Kaduna Social Protection Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC) commended stakeholders and the State House of Assembly for the passage of the bill into law, saying there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for the poor and vulnerable groups

Chairman of KADSPAC, Ms Jessica Bartholomew, while speaking to our reporter noted that the social security bill when signed into law would put in place an agency where all social protection activities and programmes are coordinated for effective accountability.

According to her KADSPAC alongside other partners has advocated for the development of the social security bill to ensure it scaled through legislation

She added that the coalition has also worked with the State in ensuring that social protection interventions are accountable and transparent, which led to some of the successes that are seen presently.

Ms. Bartholomew stressed that the coalition over the years worked with community champions in tracking social protection interventions, not only national social protection programmes but also state- owned programmes.

“We look forward to an implementation or operational plan to be approved timely so that the poor and vulnerable residents of Kaduna can access SP interventions that will help cushion the current economic crisis faced in their households”, she said.

But for Mr. Yusuf Goje, a citizen activist, it is not yet Uhuru on the passage of the bill, even though the bill provides legal framework for better coordination, institutional synergy, effective implementation, adequate funding and accountability of tailored social protection programmes in the State and will enable Social-ProtectionUnder-One-Roof with a coordinating Agency charged with the responsibility of ensuring the poor are removed from poverty as well as the vulnerable groups are socially protected, yet it is not time to click the champagne glasses.

He observed that the state is currently in dire straits with 70 % incidence of multidimensional poverty where about 8.04 million residents are said to be multidimensional poor; and also has a 43% income poverty rate.

The activist disclosed that Kaduna is among four states that are home to one quarter of the 22.85 million poor children under five in Nigeria and this is made worse by the rising unemployment and underemployment rate in the state, 44.3% and 22.6% respectively, according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

With the above data, Goje said it is not yet Uhuru, as the assent of the Governor, Senator Uba Sani, is what is being awaited for the law to be effective as well as the establishment of the coordinating Agency and adequate financing through the trust fund.

He observed that it is now time for the governor to fulfil his social contract with residents of Kaduna State as captured in his SUSTAIN blueprint where the he made a categorical commitment to strengthen social welfare programmes and pro-poor