The Director of Conflict Research Network, West Africa (CORN), Dr Tarila Marclint Ebiede, has advised President Bola Tinubu not to allow politicians hijack his social protection policy.
Ebiede warned the President not to allow politicians dominate the distribution of palliatives.
He lamented that the social protection policy operation is at risk and vulnerable people might be denied the benefits allocated to them.
Ebiede stated this at a conference organized by CORN themed: “Social protection and economic uncertainties in fragile and conflict-affected societies” held in Abuja on Sunday.
He called for more research on social protection in Nigeria, saying this would help to ensure transparency and impactfulness in the use of social protection funds.
According to him, “An efficient social protection system should be transparent with the social register. It is also important for the government to know that social protection alone does not address poverty. The government must implement economic programs that will address poverty in a sustainable way. The government should intensify efforts to improve the economic conditions of the people rather than concentrating on social protection.”
The Research and Policy Uptake Lead, Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), Nairobi, Kenya, Professor Remi Aiyede, in his presentation, noted that palliatives must not be distributed as patronage to party members, saying that they should be properly targeted to the poorest of the poor.
