The Benue State Government has revealed that the number of Poor and Vulnerable Households and individuals on the social register has risen to 1.7 million.

The Director-General of the State Budget and Economic Planning Commission, Prof. Jerome Andohol, made this disclosure on Monday during a three-day training for desk officers, grievance officers, and enumerators on the State Social Register Update and National Identification Number Integration/Enrollment.

The training was organised by the state government through the State Operation Coordinating Unit in partnership with the Benue State Budget and Economic Planning Commission, the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office, and the National Identity Management Commission.

Andohol explained that Governor Hyancinth Alia’s administration inherited a social register with 1.6 million vulnerable individuals.

“When this administration assumed office, the number of Poor and Vulnerable Households was 417,743, and the total number of individuals was 1,661,039.

There has been significant improvement in the update of this data, with the number of PVHHs rising to 496,993 and the total number of individuals reaching 1,746,411,” he stated.

He also highlighted that the addition of 79,250 PVHHs and 85,372 individuals to the social register had occurred during the current administration.

Andohol noted that despite these improvements, there were challenges in the proper distribution of benefits, particularly the Conditional Cash Transfer meant for the poor and vulnerable.

“It has been observed that the CCT often does not reach its intended recipients due to improper or unclear account details or missing unique identifiers, which shortchange beneficiaries,” he said.



https://punchng.com/benue-vulnerable-population-surges-to-1-7-million/