Musa Na Allah, Sokoto
To strengthen social protection, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced plans to enroll 250,000 vulnerable people in Sokoto State into the state’s social register under the European Union–Supported Sustainable Social Protection System in Nigeria (EU-SUSI) project.
The initiative, described as a lifeline for the most deprived citizens, aims to close critical gaps in the National Social Register and extend access to welfare, healthcare, and nutrition support for families long excluded from government safety nets.
UNICEF Country Representative, Mrs. Wafah Sa’id, announced on Wednesday during the formal handover of information technology equipment to Deputy Governor Idris Muhammad Gobir at the Government House, Sokoto.
The donated items, procured through EU-SUSI support, include 200 computer tablets, 200 power banks, three laptops, and thousands of “mamakits” for safe childbirth and immunisation.
According to Sa’id, the equipment will drive a large-scale registration exercise across all 23 local government areas of the state.
She added that no fewer than 3,000 previously uncovered communities will be captured in the register. “This exercise is about restoring dignity, giving the poorest Sokoto citizens a voice, and opening doors to opportunities that can transform lives,” she said.
Reaffirming UNICEF’s commitment, Sa’id announced that the organisation would match Sokoto State’s N500 million allocation for nutrition supplies, effectively doubling the state’s resources to fight malnutrition.
She stressed the urgency of the intervention, noting that “seventy-five per cent of brain development occurs in the first two years of life. If we miss that window, the cost to children, families, and society is immeasurable.”
Sa’id also commended Sokoto for raising its health budget from 6.5 to nearly 10 per cent but urged greater focus on reducing the state’s high number of out-of-school children, describing education as the surest pathway out of poverty.
In his response, Deputy Governor Gobir hailed UNICEF and the EU for what he called a “game-changing intervention” for Sokoto’s poorest communities. He pledged that the state government would manage the resources transparently.
“This support is about lives, not statistics. It is about mothers who need safe deliveries, children who need food and education, and families who deserve dignity.
Sokoto will not fail in this responsibility,” he assured.
The EU-SUSI project, a flagship collaboration between UNICEF and the European Union, has been central to expanding social safety nets in Nigeria.
With Sokoto’s new enrollment drive, the state is expected to emerge as a model of how social protection can reduce poverty, strengthen resilience, and promote inclusive growth.
Observers say the initiative could mark a turning point in Sokoto’s fight against hunger, malnutrition, and social exclusion, while setting a benchmark for other Nigerian states.
