By Deborah Coker
Sen. Ned Nwoko (APC-Delta) has called for the establishment of a National Social Security Agency (NSSA) in the country to replace the current Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
Nwoko, who represents Delta North Senatorial District, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abuja on Monday, said the agency would be a data-driven body.
He said that the agency if established would sit under the Office of the President, adding that the idea was simple in language but consequential in intent.
The lawmaker who said he had written an open letter and also presented a Bill on it before the senate, described the measure as a structural fix.
He said that instead of the present ministry model which delivers short term palliatives and, at times, fragmented programmes, the NSSA would centralise targeting, payments and long-term planning for the poor, elderly, unemployed and other vulnerable groups.
‘’Data-based Registration, biometric IDs, unified databases and direct, traceable payments are part of the blueprint.
‘’Every beneficiary will be registered on a unified database, verified, and supported directly through transparent, trackable payments,’’ he said.
Nwoko said that the Bill mattered because Nigeria’s social protection architecture had been criticised for being reactive rather than preventative.
‘’Frequent emergencies, food inflation and rising unemployment have made millions vulnerable; ad hoc cash transfers and donor-led initiatives have failed to create a dependable safety net.
‘’A legal, well-funded agency will protect dignity by ensuring entitlement and predictability rather than leaving relief to the shifting priorities of ministers and short political cycles,’’ he said.
He also stressed that Nigerians deserve a system that sees their right to survival as a constitutional obligation, not a favour.
According to him, social security funds should be treated as a first-line charge from the Federation Account, deducted at source and distributed by law.
‘’If our lawmakers can guarantee salaries for political office holders through first-line charge, then we can certainly guarantee food and shelter for citizens who have nothing.”
He said the bill had passed its first reading and has since enjoyed public backing from several civil society groups who see the switch as a necessary reform.
(NAN)