The Acting Governor of Oyo State, Barrister Abdulraheem Adebayo Lawal, on Monday officially launched the Sustainable Social Protection Initiative in Nigeria (SUSI) for Oyo State, a programme designed to strengthen the state’s social protection framework and expand coverage for vulnerable groups.
The initiative, which is being implemented in four states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is funded by the European Union (EU) with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as implementing partners.
Speaking at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Lawal described the launch as “a landmark achievement” in Oyo State’s quest to promote social inclusion, strengthen human capital, and advance sustainable development.
“In Oyo State, we have consistently prioritized social protection as a cornerstone of our governance agenda. Over the past few years, deliberate investments have been made to reduce poverty, expand healthcare coverage, and improve access to targeted social interventions,” he said.
Highlighting progress made under the state’s Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) programme, Lawal noted that over 200,000 households had benefitted from food packages, ₦500 million in loans had been disbursed to small businesses, ₦1 billion in grants allocated to strengthen food production, and 46 subsidized buses introduced to mitigate transport costs. In addition, he said free healthcare had been provided to more than 40,000 pensioners, while health insurance was extended to 150,000 vulnerable persons including inmates.
According to him, the EU-SUSI project will consolidate these gains by reinforcing legal, policy, and financial mechanisms, expanding the national social register, strengthening technical capacity of policymakers, and establishing a comprehensive social protection bill for consideration at the state and national assemblies.
“The project will elevate our social protection framework to a higher level of institutional maturity and embed shock-responsive systems across our planning structures,” Lawal added, while commending the EU and its partners for their collaboration.
Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Professor Musibau Babatunde, said the initiative aligns with Governor Seyi Makinde’s development blueprints, noting that Oyo State had already developed a functional social register.
Also speaking, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office for the South West, Ms. Celine Lafoucriere, underscored the importance of robust social protection systems in safeguarding rights and tackling poverty. She reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment, alongside the ILO and EU, to help Oyo State build a more resilient system.
In their goodwill messages, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, and Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Toyin Balogun, pledged the state’s readiness to fully implement the scheme, stressing that “no one will be left behind.”
The launch was witnessed by top government officials, legislators, local government leaders, and representatives of international organisations, including the ILO and UNICEF.
