The Permanent Secretary, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Olusola Idowu, has said that it is possible and desirable for Nigerians to build Social Protection, as an efficient poverty eradication tool.
Mrs Idowu made this assertion in Abuja, while declaring open the Sensitization workshop on ‘Social Protection Concept in Nigeria’ organized by the Ministry in Collaboration with a development partner, Save – the – Children, for the management staff of the Ministry.
She stated that the aim of the workshop was to deepen the understanding of the staff on the concept of Social Protection, as officials of the Ministry who were expected to champion and educate all relevant MDAs and the general public, particularly when issues relating to Social Protection were being discussed by various Thematic Groups working on the on-going Medium Term Plan.
According to the Permanent Secretary, “the workshop is timely as it will avail participants, the opportunity to a broader conceptual understanding of what Social Protection Policy is all about and stimulate cross-fertilization of ideas and sharing of knowledge with experts in the field.”
She further stated that Social Protection is a multi- disciplinary concept that cut across all sectors, therefore, it was expected to address poverty alleviation and social security.
“It is in this context that it is considered necessary to organize this workshop for this cadre of staff that will serve as Head of Secretariat and Ministry’s Anchor in the Medium-Term Plan, that the Ministry is currently coordinating its development.
Mrs. Idowu advised participants to contribute positively to discussions in the course of the workshop as that would enable them impact the knowledge gained, to other officers in the Ministry.
Earlier, the Representative of the Save – the – Children, Mrs. Sheila Nkunika, applauded the Federal Government for their commendable progress on Social Protection thus far, adding that Nigeria had done very well in the last five years and was very optimistic that through the Workshop, Social Protection would continue to grow in Nigeria and shine as an example to the rest of the world.
Victoria Agba-Attah
Director, Information
