Covid-19: Oyo State urges residents to boost Rapid Response Register

The Oyo State Government has appealed to residents of 229 Communities within the state to actively participate in updating the Rapid Response Register, RRR.

This, the government said, would enable them, especially those that have been pushed into poverty by Covid-19, to benefit from theNigerian Government Social Security targeted to cushion the effect of the pandemic.

The government, which disclosed that it has commenced the process to register the would-be beneficiaries, noted that it would be a disservice if the people who are supposed to benefit miss the opportunity.

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Adeniyi Farinto, stated this at the stakeholders’ meeting on the sensitisation campaign for the Rapid Response Register (RRR) at the Ibadan Business School, Bodija, Ibadan, on Wednesday.

Farinto said government’s initiative would consider low income earners in the informal sector who have lost their income opportunities due to the pandemic.

He said the intervention, which is a short term shock response measure, is expected to pay every successfully captured household in the register N5000 monthly for an initial period of six months.

He stated that the initiative, which is a partnership between the FG and the World Bank, targets mostly urban and semi-urban low-income earners and households who have fallen into poverty as a result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farinto disclosed that to locate the wards and communities, the National Social Safety Nets Project utilised the geographical satellite remote sensing technology which culminated in 229 communities, identified in eight local government areas of Oyo state, namely: Ido, Atiba, Ogbomosho South, Saki West, Iseyin, Oyo East, Irepo and Ibarapa East.

He stated: “We will also deploy a community-driven approach and it is apolitical. Whereas, targeting and enrolment of affected households will be done using cellphone Short Messaging Service (SMS) technology that allows  beneficiaries to register by following simple USSD code while verification will be done manually to confirm the existence of the beneficiaries.

“Let me therefore use the opportunity to encourage every individual to spread the Rapid Response Register (RRR) message to the people and the communities concerned for effective participation and massive enrollment of beneficiaries.” 

Also speaking on updates of the registration, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Mrs Foluke Adebiyi, said the RRR would assist the state government in dealing with the socio-economic effects and threats of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She called for proper attention by the populace on the new initiative, so that its aim to enable low income earners and other vulnerable persons would be achieved.

Adebiyi said: “There are eight pre-coded local government areas on the list that have been identified across the state for the action and we are targeting 229 communities. Due to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic some self-sustaining low income households in urban and semi-urban areas have come under hardship due to loss of income.”

The Co-ordinator, State Operation Co-ordinating Unit of National Social Safety Nets Project, Mrs Laide Lasisi, explained that households found eligible should carefully follow SMS and USSD prompts sent to their phones.

Mrs Lasisi stated that the pilot phase of the project, which was done in Lagos and Abuja, provided valuable lessons around communications and advocacy, adding that it helped in shaping the engagement and setting the tone for the countrywide implementation.

The meeting was organised by the Oyo State Operation Coordinating Unit (OYOSOCU), in collaboration with the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, in partnership with the World Bank.

Mercy Chukwudiebere