The Kaduna Social Protection Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC), on Friday commended the Kaduna State Government for allocating N29.9 billion for various social protection interventions in the 2022 budget.
The Chairperson of the coalition, Mrs Jessica Bartholomew made the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
Bartholomew spoke on the sideline of the budget analysis supported by Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), that the allocation was commendable.
She said that the amount allocated in 20 Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), represents 10.7 per cent of the total N278.6 billion budget for the 2022 fiscal year signed by Gov. Nasir El-Rufai.
According to her, the amount if released and made available to the MDAs, will go a long way in reducing poverty in the state.
She said that a total of N1.2. Billion was located under the Ministry of Agriculture for social protection intervention, while N771.6 million was allocated in the Ministry for Business Innovation and Technology.
She said that N1.3 billion was allocated under Industrialisation and Micro Credit Management Board to ease financial constraints to distressed Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through debt financing and enhancing MSMEs information technology capacity.
She added that the Community and Social Development Agency also got N834.7 million for various social protection programmes in 2022.
The chairperson said that out of the N834.7 million, N10.7 million was allocated to expand the livelihood support and grants for the poor and vulnerable households for human development.
She also said that N2.1 billion was allocated to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for the construction of low-income mass housing.
“The Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure also got N23.5 million for mechanical workshop for skills acquisition.
“The state Scholarship Board got N3.2 billion for various scholarship supports to deserving students, while N1.4 billion was allocated to the State Universal Basic Education Board for various social protection interventions.
“The state Contributory Health Management Authority got N840 million while Ministry for Human Services and Social Development got N5.4 billion of which N4 billion was for pro-poor programmes.
“Kaduna State Rehabilitation Board also got N167.8 million in the 2022 budget for various social protection interventions,” she said.
Bartholomew added that of the N29.9 billion, N9.7 billion was allocated to the Ministry of Finance for pension and gratuity, while the Planning and Budget Commission got N267.4 million.
She equally said that the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs got N2.0 billion for compensation to victims of communal violence, while the Ministry of Justice got N11.5 million for skills acquisition in state correctional centres.
The chairperson also said that the Ministry of Education got N4.6 million of social protection intervention, while Kaduna State Agency for the Control of AIDS got N798,660.
She added that N401.5 million was allocated to the state Residents Identification Management Agency for procurement of enrolment kits, operationalising state-wide residents’ registration, data management, stakeholders’ sensitisation, and mobilisation.
She commended the state government for responding to some of the recommendations by the State Assembly public hearing on the 2022 budget.
She explained that KADSPAC had recommended that the N120 million allocated as one per cent of Internally Generated Revenue for social protection programmes under the Ministry of Human Services and Social Development should be improved.
She disclosed that the government responded by replacing the budget line with N4.0 billion for pro-poor programme in the ministry.
“The recommendation for a budgetary allocation for the implementation of the State’s Disability Law 2021 was also considered with budgetary provision of N100 million for the Disability Trust Fund.
“Similarly, KADSPAC recommended that the N88.2 million allocated to the Kaduna State Rehabilitation Board for the completion of construction of three ultra-modern rehabilitation centres in three local government councils was increased.
“The amount was increased to N147 million as proposed by the board,” she said. (NAN)