By Emmanuel Ugwu
Development partners have given Abia State firm assurances of full assistance in its bid to set up a sustainable social protection system.
The assurances came from the European Union(EU), UNICEF, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) during the launching of the EU-funded Supporting Sustainable Social Protection System(SUSI) in Umuahia on Wednesday September 24, 2025.
At the event, the Abia State Social Protection Council was also formerly launched to steer the implementation of the SUSI project.
The development partners were all on hand to demonstrate their commitment to help Abia develop a robust, responsive, and sustainable social protection system that supports development.
The SUSI project which has UNICEF and ILO as implementing partners, with the federal government, would also make it possible for Abia to prioritise development of inclusive and equitable policies that addess the needs of its vulnerable population.
Mignot: Investment in social protection reduces inequality
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS), Ambassador Gautier Mignot said that the SUSI project which commenced in Nigeria in 2024 is fully funded by EU to the tune of €13 million.
“This project is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s social protection system, expand coverage for the most vulnerable, and ensure no one is left behind,” he said.
Gautier noted that SUSI project “matters very much because social protection is at the heart of the resilience and inclusive growth”, adding that the project is being implemented in four states, including Abia, Benue, Oyo, and Sokoto.
He said: “Investment in social protection complements the EU’s shared goals in education, health, gender equality, and economic development.
“And when a family has access to safety nets, they are less likely to fall deeper into poverty during shocks. Inequality is reduced when vulnerable groups are supported”.
The head of the EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS explained that “investment in social protection means investment in people, human capital, and the future” hence “the objective must be to help people to find their way out of poverty”.
“The changes will be seen in the number of people who are taken out of poverty, and households that can cope with social, economic, or environmental shocks without falling into destitution,” he stated.
Aside the providing the funding, the EU Ambassador announced a donation of soft and hardware ICT components to further help Abia implement a seamless SUSI programme.
Ms Judith Leveillee: Chief of Field Services, UNICEF
In her goodwill message, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed, said that SUSI “is more than a project”, describing it as ” a promise that families and children will not fall through the cracks”.
She also pointed out that “social protection is not just a safety net (but) a springboard that allows people to live with dignity to grow and to thrive”, adding that the promise of social protection “must reach the child in a remote village, the mother struggling to make ends meet”
Saeed further stated that the social protection being put in place would cover “the elderly and people with disabilities, and the young people whose future depends on the systems we build today”.
Gov Otti: SUSI will bring more people into social safety net.
Governor Alex Otti profusely thanked the development partners for their interest and commitment to help Abia build a system that promotes inclusiveness and improve the welfare of the people.
He noted that the EU has been carrying out interventions in health, education, environment, energy, and large-scale support for vulnerable people that have “greatly improved the social and economic experience of tens of thousands of individuals and families”.
Otti expressed happiness that the SUSI project “designed to function in ways that expand our reach by bringing more people into the social safety net”.
He announced that his administration “is prepared to offer every required support to make this program successful”, adding that the underpinning philosophyof his government remain the improving the living condition of our populace” .
“We look forward to the great things that will happen over the 36-month life cycle of the project. As we step into a new chapter in the continuing war against social vulnerabilities and material destitution,” The Abia Governor said.
Phala-Moyo: ILO supports establishment of social security system.
In her remarks, the Director of ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Ms. Vanessa Lerato Phala-Moyo, expressed ILO’s commitment to ensure that SUSI was successfully implemented in Abia.
She described the project as one of the fundamental area of work that ILO is collaboration with its partners to deliver thereby engendering shared wealth and good living for the people.
Adding her voice to explain the concept of SUSI, the Chief of Field Services, UNICEF, Ms Judith Leveillee, said that it would provide the “springboard” that would allow people to live in dignity”.
“We want to build strong policies; we want the best for Nigerian children and Nigeria stands as an example in West Africa where every child is protected, every family is protected and every community empowered”.
