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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

C’River trains 221 for social intervention

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Cross River State Government has trained 221 facilitators, including ward development officers and local government liaison officers, for its social intervention program.
  • The initiative aims to create a social safety net for vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations across all 196 political wards in the state.
  • The program will provide benefits such as direct cash transfers and one-off empowerment opportunities to 150 indigenes per ward, irrespective of political or religious affiliation.

The Cross River State Government, through its Social Intervention and Investment Programme, has equipped 221 facilitators with the skills to implement a new social safety net initiative. The training included 196 Ward Development Officers (WDOs) and 25 local government liaison officers, preparing them to identify and support vulnerable and hard-to-reach individuals across all 196 political wards in the state.

The training will seek to build the Ward Development Officers to efficiency help them in identifying the various social starter that are abound within the 196 council wards of the state.

— Dr Edem EffiomExplaining the purpose of the capacity-building workshop for Ward Development Officers.

Dr. Edem Effiom, the State Coordinator of the Programme, announced the completion of the capacity-building workshop in Calabar. He explained that the training, conducted across the state's three senatorial districts, aims to enhance the WDOs' efficiency in identifying diverse social needs within their respective wards. This initiative is designed to operationalize Governor Bassey Otu's "people first mantra" by establishing a robust social safety net.

According to Effiom, the program is set to benefit approximately 150 Cross River indigenes in each ward. The support will be delivered through two main channels: 100 beneficiaries will receive direct cash transfers, while another 50 will be provided with one-off empowerment opportunities. Crucially, the selection of beneficiaries will be inclusive, drawing from the population within each council ward without regard to political affiliation or religious belief.

The beneficiaries are to be sourced among the population within the council wards irrespective of their political affiliation including the Christian and Muslim communities.

— Dr Edem EffiomHighlighting the inclusive nature of the social intervention program's beneficiary selection.

"This empowerment is not limited to political party or church. Everybody will benefit irrespective of your political affiliation or religious belief," Effiom stated, underscoring the program's commitment to broad-based support. The initiative represents a significant effort by the state government to extend essential services and economic opportunities to its most vulnerable citizens, ensuring that support reaches those who might otherwise be overlooked.

This empowerment is not limited to political party or church. Everybody will benefit irrespective of your political affiliation or religious belief.

— Dr Edem EffiomReiterating the non-discriminatory approach to the program's benefits.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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