Spread the love
Kogi State Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) has made public her database of poor, unemployed and vulnerable persons in the state.
According to Project Coordinator, Kogi State YESSO, Mr Noah Alilu, the database will help government and non-governmental organisations identify and assist the real beneficiaries of poverty-related interventions.
The database, called Single Register, captured 22,241 households and 116,080 individuals in Kogi state.
At the official presentation of the Single Register, Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, pledged that the state government will continue to support the youth empowerment programmes as part of its strategies to reduce poverty amongst the rural people in the state.
Governor Bello, who was represented at the event by his Deputy, Elder Simon Achuba said his government, as a matter of priority, disbursed over one hundred and eleven million naira to the poor households in the state every month to smoothing consumption and reduce poverty.
He expressed worry that the youth empowerment programme in the past governments in the state was used as a conduit pipe where people benefited based on ” whom you know syndromes “, saying his administration has developed a transparent youth programme where only the targetted poor in the communities benefit from the initiative.
According to the Governor, ” with YESSO implementation, the issues of criminality, youth restivenes, kidnapping and other social vices which is a direct product of idleness would be reduced to barest minimum as we are poise to engage them into various YESSO programmes “.
Speaking on the process of data capturing, the State Head of Service, Mrs Deborah Ogunmola said the Single Register had undergone series of vetting an validation by the World Bank before it was subsequently approved.
She said, “international best practices in addressing social protection and vulnerability issues in the 21st century demands the use of a reliable and updated Single Register which is location specific for effective and efficient implementation devoid of error of inclusion and exclusion.
“This register include both geographical and community – based targeting approach by Kogi State YESSO using the World Bank model. The register had undergone series of vetting an validation by the World Bank before it was subsequently approved.
“Kogi YESSO was able to undertake three rounds of both geographical and community – based targeting and have succeeded in capturing the 21 LGAs in the state into this Single Register.
“This Register composed of three volumes has a total of 22,241 households with 116,080 individuals across the 21 LGAs of Kogi State. Kogi YESSO is currently expanding it”.
Speaking, the Task Team Leader, YESSO, World Bank, Mr Andrew Adejoh said the World Bank was proud to partner with Kogi state as they harvest the demographic dividend and consolidate the social contract with its people.
Mr Adejoh urged the beneficiaries of the programme to put in their best to encourage the state government to engage more people for the programme.
Spread the love
