Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

The Executive Secretary of the Social Development Coordinating Agency (SDCA), Ekiti State, Oludare Ogundare has revealed that more than six million residents of the State have benefited from various social protection initiatives designed to alleviate poverty and promote inclusive development across communities in the state.

Ogundare disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti during the State Level Dialogue on Social Protection under the project tagged: ‘ACT NAIJA’, organised by the New Initiative for Social Development (NISD) in partnership with the Ekiti State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

The programme, themed “Strengthening Social Protection Prevention in Ekiti State,” was co-funded by the European Union and being implemented by the consortium of three partners, New Initiative for Social Development (NISD), Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) and Bread for the World (BfTW), Germany.

Speaking at the event that converged Stakeholders, Policy Makers, Government Officials, the Agency’s Secretary noted that the wide reach of the state’s social protection programmes is a reflection of the government’s commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable citizens.

He explained that the establishment of social investment structures under the coordinating agency represents a manifestation of Nigeria’s growing commitment to social development and poverty reduction.

Ogundele acknowledged that while some citizens may not yet be fully aware of available programmes, widespread participation across the state demonstrates significant impact.

According to him, social protection remains a federal government intervention aimed at tackling issues such as unemployment, poverty and inequality with state governments now playing a more direct role through counterpart funding and implementation at local levels.

He commended the Ekiti State Government for ensuring an enabling environment for the smooth implementation of social protection policies, while also urging continuous sensitization to bring more residents on board.

His words, “As of today, I can say precisely that over six million people have benefited from existing social protection programmes in Ekiti.

“These include beneficiaries of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), N-Power, Household Income Transfer, and several other interventions under the social protection framework.

“People are aware, quite alright. The few who are not may be those with low literacy levels or those who do not pay attention to social issues around them. Some even live in poverty but refuse to acknowledge it or take advantage of available opportunities”.

Speaking with journalists, the Programme Officer of NISD in Ekit State, Rachael Olori expressed worry over people’s inexperience on how to access social protection, saying the goal of the project was to bridge the gap and help with policy frameworks and strengthen the implementation of social protection in Ekiti State and across all other implementing states in Nigeria

She thereby called for a collective action to implement social protection law and improve the standard of living of the vulnerable in the state.

“Using Ekiti State as a reference, most people do not know how to access social protection. Most people are unaware of what social protection programs exist in the state for them, or how to engage with them.

“Our goal for this project is to bridge that gap to help with policy frameworks and strengthen the implementation of social protection in Ekiti State and across all other implementing states in Nigeria.

“To raise awareness, we understand that we cannot do it alone and the government cannot do it alone either. That’s why we have stakeholders.

“Here in Ekiti State, we have chosen to work with the Ministry of Human Affairs to push forward the agenda of social protection.

‘We plan to carry out multiple activities for this purpose. Going forward, we will engage more of our stakeholders present here today”. She added

In her remarks, the Special Adviser to Governor Biodun Oyebanji on Women Affairs, Olapeju Babafemi commended the organisation for its commitment in improving social protection and strengthening social protection systems in Ekiti state.

Babafemi, represented by the Director of Ministry of Women Affairs, Olukemi Akinleye, noted that Social Protection interventions align with the policy thrust of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who has made social inclusion, poverty reduction and empowerment the cornerstones of his Shared Prosperity mantra.

She explained that Ekiti State Government places premium value on human capital development, adding that the dialogue would provide an opportunity to reshape collective understanding of social protection as a transformative tool for equity, resilience and sustainable development.

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