Edo collects data to build social register of poor, vulnerable citizens

Edo State government has commenced a data collection exercise to gather relevant and reliable data to build a social register of poor, physically disadvantaged and other vulnerable persons in the state.

Dorcas Idehen, permanent secretary, Edo State Ministry of Social Development and Gender Issues, said the exercise, which is currently ongoing, will enable the government to holistically plan and respond to the needs of the poor and lessprivileged in the society.

According to her, the enumeration exercise tagged

“Data to Make Edo Great Again” is in furtherance of the Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s efforts at ensuring the wellbeing and wellbeing of all citizens.

Idehen said: “The Edo State government has commenced an enumeration exercise to build a social register of the aged, poor, physically disadvantaged and other vulnerable persons across the 18 local government areas of the state.

“The data collected from this exercise will be the thrust for the government’s planning and implementation of social protection interventions and empowerment programmes targeted at the poor and vulnerable households in the state.

“While we may have anchored a number of our interventions on available data, there is no denying that there are changes as a result of birth, death and migration, among others.

“The ‘Data to Make Edo Great Again’ scheme will ensure the collection of reliable, credible and critical data that meets current realities and see that all citizens are carried along in the planning and execution of government’s people-centric programmes and policies to better the welfare and wellbeing of Edo people.