By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
A 3-Day Step-Down Training on on integration of Bauchi State Social Register (SSR) with National Identification Number (NIN) has commenced today in Bauchi, the State Capital.
The training was organised by the Bauchi State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU) of the National Social Safety-Net Project Scale -Up (NASSP-SU) in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO).
Addressing the 100 participants in a remarks titled: “Harnessing the Power of Data for Social Inclusion” shortly before the commencement of the training, National Coordinator of NASSCO intervention, Dr Funmi Olotu said that the new initiative of integrating State Social Register (SSR) and the National Identity Number (NIN) is a critical policy drive of the President Bola Tinubu administration, aimed at providing identity to the poor, and vulnerable households across the country.
Represented by an official of NASSCO, Mr. Orjimie Benjamin, Dr. Olotu said that the use of NIMC devices for enrollment, Kobo Collect for data collection, and the subsequent updating of household information will ensure that correct data is captured and provide the necessary support to those who need it most.
“The State Social Register (SSR) plays a vital role in our social safety-net programs, serving as a single, unified database for targeting and interventions. By integrating the NIN into the SSR, we will enhance the accuracy and efficiency of our targeting mechanisms, ensuring that the most vulnerable households receive the support they need”, said Dr. Olotu.
Declaring the training open, the permanent secretary in the Bauchi State Ministry of Budget, Economic Planing and Multilateral Coordinator, Mallam Jibrin Muhammad Yusuf said that the integration of SSR with NIN was long overdue, because NIN is used to access services all over the world inline with global best practices.
The permanent secretary then urged the selected participant to take the training seriously and ensure that they participate actively by asking questions where they don’t understand.
Yusuf implored the 100 participants to pay attention to every detail of the training stressing that, “your role as Community-Based Targeting Team (CBTT) members and enumerators is crucial in the successful implementation of this important assignment”.
In a goodwill message the Bauchi State Acting Coordinator of NIMC Ibrahim Hassan Mohammed enjoined the participants to embrace the training program with a spirit of learning and collaboration, knowing that the knowledge and skills acquired will contribute significantly to national identity management efforts.
Mohammed maintained that the workshop signifies a combined efforts to ensure robust and inclusive identity management solutions that are instrumental for the nation’s governance and service delivery.
“Today, we gather with a unified purpose – to enhance our collective capabilities in advancing the National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment process,and it’s integration with state social register”, said NIMC Bauchi State Acting Coordinator.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Bauchi State Project Coordinator (SPC) of the State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU) of NASSCO, Ibrahim Tijjani Balange said that the step down training was designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills of integrating the SSR and NIN and to further exposed them to new innovations in updating the State Social Register (SRR).
He said that with the integration of the SSR and NIN, the move will mitigate challenges of multiple enrollment into the SSR and further ensure that it is only Nigerians that would benefit from the intervention.
Balange then commended the tremendous support SOCU is getting the State Government, NASSCO, NIMC and other partners in carrying out the training exercises.
Our correspondent reports that the training attracted 100 participants comprising 5 each from the 20 LGAs of Bauchi State. The 5 participants includes: I desk officer, 1 grievance redress officer, and 3 enumerators.
The training will end on Saturday with a practical hands-on simulation exercise in some selected communities of the State.