The senate has taken a step toward overhauling Nigeria’s social protection framework as a bill seeking to establish a national social welfare service passed second reading on Thursday.
Sponsored by Orji Uzor Kalu, senator representing Abia north, and seconded by Adamu Aliero of Kebbi central, the proposed legislation aims to create a coordinated, data-driven system to tackle extreme poverty nationwide.
Leading debate on the bill, Kalu said poverty remains one of the country’s most persistent challenges despite years of scattered interventions.
He noted that Nigeria still lacks a central institution capable of managing and tracking welfare programmes with transparency and precision.
Under the proposal, a social welfare service would be established as a department under the ministry responsible for humanitarian affairs.
The structure would include offices across all 36 states and the FCT to ensure interventions reach vulnerable communities rather than remaining concentrated in Abuja.
Kalu said the service would design and implement a wide range of programmes — from food and cash transfers to education stipends, housing support, agricultural subsidies, credit schemes and allowances for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
“The structure would ensure that social protection programmes extend beyond Abuja to local communities nationwide,” he said.
“The service would design and implement welfare programmes including food transfers, cash transfers, education stipends, housing support, subsidies for marginal farmers, credit schemes and allowances for the elderly and persons with disabilities.”
The senator said it would also develop mechanisms to ensure that only genuinely vulnerable households benefit from the programmes.
He said a key innovation in the bill is the establishment of safety centres across the federation to identify beneficiaries, deliver support and monitor outcomes.
Kalu noted that the bill mandates the maintenance of a register of beneficiaries and graduates to enhance transparency and track long-term impact.
He said the bill applies eligibility criteria such as households earning below N5,000 monthly, day labourers earning below N3,000 per job, low-income artisans, subsistence farmers and residents of slum settlements.
Kalu, a former Abia state governor, said the criteria would help eliminate political influence or arbitrary selection.
Aliero commended Kalu for what he described as a “revolutionary bill”.
He said the legislation is timely and would help the 10th senate “write its name in gold” by reducing poverty, especially in rural areas.
Lola Ashiru, senator representing Kwara south, said the senate should advance the bill because social programmes must be based on reliable data.
Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno north, said the bill promotes scientifically driven data similar to what China used to lift its citizens out of poverty.
Solomon Adeola, senator representing Ogun west, said many social intervention programmes miss their targets due to poor coordination.
Adeola said the creation of safety centres makes the bill a “right step in the right direction”.
Osita Ngwu, senator representing Enugu west, said Nigeria lacks a coordinated system to track beneficiaries of social protection programmes.
Francis Fadahunsi, senator representing Osun east, said he supports the bill “100 percent” because rural communities must not be excluded from social interventions.
Sani Musa, senator representing Niger east, said the bill would help Nigeria generate accurate data on vulnerable citizens.
Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, said governments have approached social security on an ad hoc basis without verifiable data.
Oshiomhole said the bill offers tools needed to achieve governance stability.
Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, referred the bill to the committee on public service matters. He directed the committee to report back within four weeks.
