We’ve captured 77m Nigerians in FG’s safety-net register — NASSCO

The National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) has revealed that over 77 million Nigerians are now registered on the Federal Government’s safety net. 

This followed the Federal Government’s intensified efforts to integrate the National Identification Number (NIN) into the country’s social protection system. 

This integration into the register aims to enhance transparency, accountability, and effective targeting of vulnerable citizens.

The disclosure was made in Abuja on Thursday by Dr. Funmi Olotu, NASSCO’s National Programme Manager. 

Olotu spoke at a high-level stakeholder engagement with Local Government Areas chairmen, an event organised in collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

At the event, with the theme: “Strengthening Local Government Leadership for Inclusive Development and Social Protection Delivery,” Olotu disclosed that the National Social Register currently covered over 20 million households and more than 77 million individuals across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

She explained that the ongoing integration of NIN into the register was designed to strengthen data integrity, eliminate duplication, and ensure government interventions reach the targeted beneficiaries.

She emphasised that the reform aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which, she said, aimed to deepen accountability in social interventions nationwide.

Olotu said: “At the heart of this effort is the National Social Register, a national platform designed to identify and support poor and vulnerable households nationwide.

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“Today, the Register encompasses over 20 million households and more than 77 million individuals across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.  

“Beyond these figures lies its true value: a system that empowers the government to gain a clear understanding, comprehend better, and respond more effectively to the realities of its people.”

Olotu emphasised the crucial role local government authorities played in the success of the NIN integration exercise due to their close proximity to the grassroots and direct engagement with vulnerable populations.

She said: “Local Government chairmen are not merely stakeholders.

“They are the drivers of execution.  

“Being closest to the communities, they understand the ground realities and are uniquely positioned to ensure the effective implementation of the NIN integration process.”

Olotu said that there had been significant progress in social register data nationwide, noting that more than 9.7 million household records had been updated across the 774 local government areas, 8,756 wards, and over 217,000 communities. 

She added that 12.3 million NINs had been captured, with over 11.5 million successfully validated.

“These achievements demonstrate the potential of coordinated effort, commitment, and grassroots leadership,” she added.

The NASSCO boss further affirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to establishing a social protection system where no vulnerable household remains invisible and no intervention is misdirected.

Olotu also announced that the engagement would culminate in a joint communiqué between NASSCO, ALGON, and local government authorities outlining implementation priorities, shared responsibilities, and operational strategies moving forward.

The National President of ALGON, Hon. Bello Lawal, described the engagement as timely, emphasising that local government areas would no longer be seen as mere beneficiaries of social protection policies but as active partners in planning, implementation, monitoring, and accountability.

Lawal highlighted the country’s current critical development phase, which necessitates stronger collaboration among all government levels to achieve inclusive growth and social stability.

He stressed that this engagement is taking place during a significant political transition in Nigeria, demanding renewed commitment to development outcomes and robust strategies for national growth and social inclusion.

He pointed out that local government structures across the country were strategically positioned to facilitate coordination, data verification, and the implementation of social protection operations at the community level.

He reaffirmed ALGON’s commitment to supporting initiatives that enhance identity management, social inclusion, and transparent service delivery throughout Nigeria.

Lawal stated that existing local government structures had been equipped to coordinate and implement national social protection operations across communities and wards nationwide.

He urged participants to develop practical and actionable strategies that will improve community ownership accountability and delivery outcomes for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Olubunmi Olusanya, described the engagement as “a strategic working session” aimed at strengthening alignment coordination and implementation of Nigeria’s social intervention architecture.

Olusanya said the Federal Government had been pursuing a “One Humanitarian-One Poverty Response System” designed to harmonise interventions, eliminate duplication, and ensure a coordinated national response to poverty and vulnerability.

According to him, poverty and vulnerability could not be effectively addressed through fragmented programmes and isolated databases.

“What Nigeria requires is a single, coherent delivery architecture that is data-driven, accountable, and capable of operating at scale,” he said.

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