The Federal Government has intensified efforts to strengthen social protection delivery across the country, emphasizing that interventions are now being deliberately taken closer to vulnerable households at the community level to ensure transparency, accountability, and measurable impact.
According to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, government programmes must move beyond policy design to direct engagement with citizens for real and verifiable impact. He stated this during the HoPE-CT Beneficiary Engagement under the National Social Safety Nets Project – Scale Up (NASSP-SU), held at Ibule Community in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State.
In a statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations of the Ministry, Janet McDickson Noah, the Minister was quoted as saying: “It is not enough to design policies from afar; we must come to the communities, listen to the people, and ensure that what we are doing is truly making a difference in their lives.”
He added that the Ministry is working towards a more coordinated and structured social protection system capable of delivering sustainable outcomes. “Our goal is to move from fragmented support to a more structured approach that creates real pathways out of poverty and restores dignity to households,” he said.
Doro further stressed the importance of ongoing data validation through the National Identification Number (NIN) process, noting that it remains critical to ensuring fairness, transparency, and efficiency in the National Social Register. He disclosed that the HoPE-CT programme has recorded significant coverage in Ondo State, with 173,424 beneficiaries reached in the first tranche, 110,446 in the second, and 107,704 in the third. According to him, when household sizes are factored in, the intervention has impacted about 780,408 individuals across the state. He explained that variations in figures reflect ongoing NIN validation.
The Minister also cautioned that the programme remains completely free of charge, warning beneficiaries against extortion. “This programme is entirely free. Anyone demanding money is engaging in fraud. Report all cases through the grievance channels, including the toll-free 969 line on MTN,” he warned.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Olubunmi Olusanya, said the engagement was designed to bring government closer to beneficiaries in order to improve transparency and programme effectiveness. “This engagement provides us the opportunity to listen directly to beneficiaries, understand their experiences, and ensure the programme continues to evolve in a transparent and inclusive manner,” he said.
On behalf of the Ondo State Government, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Yemi Perisola, described the initiative as transformative, noting that it restores confidence in governance while improving livelihoods. “This programme is not just about financial support; it is about restoring confidence in governance and ensuring that vulnerable households can rebuild and improve their livelihoods through a transparent system,” she said.
A key highlight of the engagement was a robust interactive session between the Minister and beneficiaries, during which participants shared experiences, challenges, and feedback on the impact of the programme. Some discussions were held in local dialects with the assistance of community leaders to ensure full participation.
Stakeholders present included the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Badamasi Lawal; the National Programme Manager of the National Cash Transfer Office, Abdullahi Alhassan Imam; and the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Public and Intergovernmental Relations, Princess Kikelomo Ikuomola. The engagement reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to a people-centred social protection system anchored on direct engagement, accountability, and measurable impact at the grassroots.
