Oyo State Govt, EU, UNICEF Validate Social Protection Draft Bill

The Oyo State Government, through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, has organised a meeting to review and validate the State’s Social Protection Draft Bill, with support from the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) under the SUSI Project.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Julius Ayanleke, stated this during the meeting held at the Ibadan Business School, Bodija, Ibadan, with 48 participants drawn from relevant Ministries/Departments/Agencies (MDAs), the legislature, organised labour and other stakeholders in attendance.

Ayanleke explained that the meeting followed an earlier stakeholders’ engagement in Oyo, where the draft bill was finalised, noting that the validation exercise was to review the document ahead of its presentation to the State Executive Council and eventual consideration by the State House of Assembly.

He stressed that social protection was a collective responsibility, noting that anyone could become vulnerable regardless of their social or economic status. He urged participants to take the exercise seriously, as the proposed bill would help address poverty and improve the welfare of residents across the state.

The Permanent Secretary appreciated the EU and UNICEF for supporting the state in developing a comprehensive social protection framework, adding that the initiative was driven by the needs of the people of Oyo State.

The Clerk of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mrs Taiwo Murano Akinola, in her goodwill message, assured that the House would speed up the consideration and passage of the Social Protection Bill once presented to the Assembly, to ensure that vulnerable people in the state benefit from it.

Similarly, the UNICEF Lagos Office Representative, Mr Mohammed Okorie commended the Oyo State Government for developing a Social Protection Bill to protect vulnerable persons and assured that UNICEF would continue to provide technical support towards its successful implementation.

Also speaking, the Director of Legal Drafting, Ministry of Justice, Dr Dairo Titloye, described the Social Protection Bill as important in protecting poor and vulnerable persons in the state and commended all partners for their contributions.