The Nigeria Social Register is to be expanded to accommodate about 1.4 million vulnerable people in Borno and Adamawa states.
The Social and Economic Participation of Returnees, Internally Displaced Persons, and Host Communities (SEPIN SUSI) project was launched in Abuja on Tuesday.
Implemented by Action Against Hunger Nigeria (ACF) in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the initiative targets internally displaced persons, returnees, and host communities in the two northeastern states.
The Country Director of ACF Nigeria, Thierno Samba Diallo, represented by Deputy Country Director Andualem Fekadu, described social protection as a fundamental pillar for protecting vulnerable populations affected by conflict, displacement, and recurrent shocks.
“Social protection is not an add-on; it is a core priority,” Mr. Diallo said, stressing that effective social protection systems reduce vulnerability, build resilience, break cycles of poverty, and restore dignity to families.
He warned that more than 27 million Nigerians are currently experiencing crisis-level food and nutrition insecurity, with the burden particularly severe in Borno and Adamawa states.
He stressed that predictable, shock-responsive social protection is essential to prevent households from sliding deeper into crisis and to safeguard the well-being of children, the backbone of society.
Speaking on behalf of GIZ, Bolaji Aina said the SEPIN SUSI project would use modern and inclusive strategies to reach approximately 1.4 million individuals in both states through community-based targeting, geographical targeting, and proxy means testing.
“A credible and inclusive social register is the backbone of effective social protection,” she said. “This initiative will ensure vulnerable groups, particularly women, IDPs, returnees, and host communities, are systematically integrated into government systems rather than supported through parallel mechanisms.”
Ms. Aina further explained that the project aligns with Nigeria’s broader social protection reform agenda, strengthening data credibility, institutional ownership, and coordination among humanitarian, development, and peace-building actors.
Also, Mohammed Bala, representing the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), described the project as a significant value addition to ongoing efforts to update and expand the National Social Register.
He revealed that over 10 million households and individuals have already been verified through the national identity system and that SEPIN SUSI would help reduce the funding gap, accelerate coverage of vulnerable households, and strengthen accountability in service delivery.
Mr. Bala however pointed out that government interventions were increasingly shifting to digital, identity-linked, and cashless payment systems, in line with national policy.
Reporting By Annabel Nwachukwu