The Oyo State Government, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde, has approved the expansion of the State Social Register, a key initiative aimed at improving welfare support for the poor and vulnerable households across the state.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation,Prince Dotun Oyelade and obtained by PLATFORM TIMES on Wednesday.
The statement read that the Acting Coordinator of the Oyo State Operation Coordinating Unit (OYOSOCU), Mr. Salami Ismail, disclosed this development during an advocacy and sensitization campaign targeted at the political heads and management teams of 12 local government areas that will participate in the 10th round of the Community-Based Targeting (CBT) exercise.
According to Ismail, the expansion of the social register is part of Governor Makinde’s broader commitment to prioritize the welfare of the state’s most vulnerable citizens.
Established in 2013 with initial funding from the World Bank and later the Federal Government, the register aims to identify and document households eligible for various social intervention programs.
Highlighting the importance of the expansion process, Mr. Ismail underscored the essential role of local stakeholders, including traditional rulers, market women, and councilors, to ensure an inclusive and unbiased approach.
“The expansion of the register will accommodate additional poor and vulnerable households as some have exited the vulnerability threshold while others have newly fallen into it,” he said.
The identification of vulnerable households is carried out using a community-driven process called Community-Based Targeting (CBT).
The process begins with ranking local government areas based on poverty status, using state-endorsed documentation.
Local Government Career Officers, trained as Community-Based Targeting Teams (CBTTs), engage directly with community members to identify those in need through Focus Group Discussions.
Once households are identified, enumerators gather comprehensive data on each family member, creating a robust social register that is integral to several state programs.
These programs include Public Workfare (PWF), Skills for Jobs (S4J), Conditional Cash Transfers, and the Oyo State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (OY-CARES) initiative.
Ismail noted that the current expansion of the register, funded solely by the Oyo State Government, marks the first instance where the initiative has proceeded without external financial support.
He encouraged local government chairmen to utilize the Social Register in addressing social needs within their jurisdictions.
In response, the chairmen expressed their commitment to the initiative, applauding Governor Makinde for his dedication to poverty alleviation and social inclusion across Oyo State.
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