Hot SourceStakeholders have expressed concern over the Ondo State’s social protection policy following the revealation that 64 percent of persons with disabilities were unaware of any social protection programme.
With a new report indicating that only nine percent of households benefited from social welfare programmes in the past year, the stakeholders emphasied that 75 percent had never benefited from one, despite the existence of a Social Protection Law enacted in 2016.
While calling for a comprehensive review of state’s social protection policy to ensure transparency, inclusion, and sustainable funding, it gathered that weak coordination, poor monitoring, and irregular disbursements limit the impact of key programmes.
The call was made at the Ondo State Dialogue on Social Protection, held in Akure under the Act Naija Project, implemented by the New Initiatives for Social Development (NISD) in partnership with the State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.
According to the Project Officer of NISD in the state, Mrs. Adedoyin Patrick, the low coverage underscores the need for policy reforms that strengthen coordination, improve citizen participation, and ensure that vulnerable groups such as women, youths, and persons with disabilities, PWDs are not left behind.
While disclosing that the Act Naija Project is operational in seven states and the FCT to promote evidence-based advocacy and accountability in social protection, Patrick noted that in Ondo, 80 percent of interventions were from government agencies while 20 percent came from NGOs, but many residents remain unaware of available programmes.
“About 80 percent of these interventions came from government agencies, while non-governmental organisations accounted for the remaining 20 percent. In Ondo State, our assessment revealed that only nine percent of surveyed households benefited from programmes such as Conditional Cash Transfers, school feeding, education grants, and health insurance in the last 12 months.”
On his part, the NISD Project Manager, Steve Tsado, who emphasized that social protection should be treated as a right, not a privilege, stressed that “social protection is not a charity work, it is a fundamental human right. Implementing these interventions is not a favor to anyone it’s their right.
The Representative of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Mr.Idowu Oluwashola Philip, lamented persistent discrimination against persons living with disabilities despite calls for inclusion, stating that “people often avoid associating with us because they believe disability is contagious, but that is not true.”
Also speaking, the Ondo State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Leke Adegbite, expressed concern over the poor implementation of most social protection programmes in the country.
64 percents of PWDs unaware of social protection programme in Ondo – Stakeholders
