By Daniel Kateng
Plateau State Coordinator of State Operation Coordinating Units (SOCU), Kenneth Isah has said over one Million households in Plateau State captured on Rapid Response Register (RRR) would benefit Federal Government N5,000 monthly intervention to cushion the economic effect of COVID-19.
He said Households who would be captured on the rapid response register would benefit from the COVID-19 N5000 monthly intervention for a period of six months.
Isah disclosed this on Friday during the stakeholders sensitization workshop on rapid response register, held in Jos, Plateau State.
He said the programme was organised in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, through the Plateau State Ministry of Budget and economic planning and well trained staffs of SOCU to identify the poorest and vulnerable households within Plateau State.
“The rapid response register is designed as an intervention to cushion the economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban and semi urban poor Nigerians.
“The rapid response register is targeted at small business owners, street vendors, petty traders, low wages employees, urban poor and destitute persons with disabilities.
“Every household captured in the register will be paid five thousand naira monthly for an initial period of six months and the target for Plateau State is over one million households spread across the state.”
Executive Chairman, Langtang North Local Government Area, Hon. Laven Joshua Ubandoma commended the efforts of the SOCU and urged them to work together in order to assist the vulnerable persons to access the social intervention.
The Head of the Operation, Alihu Baba said the RRR aims at identifying and capturing routinely excluding groups, made vulnerable by the economic impact arising from the pandemic.
“It will further establish a shock responsive framework for accessibility and intervention of poor and vulnerable households in Nigeria during emergencies such as pandemics, floods, economic downturn and other natural and man made disasters that may be beyond the immediate control of the federal and state laid down structures.
“The targeting and enrollment of affected households will be done through text messages that allow residents of selected communities registered to be assisted by dialling 969 direct from their mobile phones and follow instructions that will add their registration.”
