Hardship: Lagos govt begins integration of NIN to social register for FG’s cash transfer

Lagos State Government has announced the commencement of the integration of the National Identification Number (NIN) into the Lagos State Single Social Register (LASSR), a subset of the National Social Register, to facilitate the Federal Government’s cash transfer to vulnerable residents in the state.

It disclosed that the state had successfully linked the NIN of 130,000 out of the 688,759 heads of households in the exercise.

The social register is being prepared for the N75,000 cash transfer by the Federal Government to each household as part of its social intervention programme for vulnerable citizens.

The State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Ope George, made this known on Tuesday at a press conference on the National Identity Number Integration with the National Social Register, held in Alausa, Ikeja.

The commissioner explained that the move was necessitated by the urgent need to tackle the current hardship in the country, triggered by the collapse of the forex window, the removal of fuel subsidy, and the proposed payment of a relief grant.

“The Federal Government has directed through the Presidential Panel that households on the National Register must be updated, especially with the National Identification Number and geo-locations,” he said.

Speaking on the progress of the integration exercise, George stated that the state embarked on the project a month ago across the 20 Local Governments (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), following directives from the Presidential Panel that the national register must be updated with National Identification Numbers and geo-locations.

According to him, the Social Protection Coordinating Department (SPCD) in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget has been visiting local governments to collect NIN and LASRRA details while engaging with community leaders to ensure a smooth, inclusive, and effective exercise.

“In the space of barely a month, SPCD, with the support of the Community-Based Targeting Teams (CBTTs) at the Local Government Level, has been able to update over 130,000 heads of households by ensuring the NINs are linked with the LASSR in the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs across the state.

“Data from the ministry shows that out of the 130,000 heads of households already linked, Ikorodu leads with 16,418, followed by Alimosho with 14,964, and Mushin coming third with 10,712,” he said.

The commissioner added that the state currently has 688,759 heads of households and 2,681,507 individual members on its register, which has helped to effectively target vulnerable individuals for intervention.

“This initiative is not just an update to the register; it is a transformative step in our collective mission to ensure that no resident of Lagos is left behind in the delivery of social protection measures and social intervention programmes in line with the THEMES+ Agenda of this administration,” he said.

He, therefore, urged Lagosians to cooperate with field officers of the Social Protection Teams by providing their NINs to ensure the success of the exercise.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs Olayinka Ojo, in her remarks, said the goal of the exercise was to enhance accuracy, eliminate duplication of names, and ensure that the intervention reaches the right people.

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