The National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) has revealed that over 12.3 million Nigerians have been connected to the National Social Register using their National Identification Numbers (NIN), as part of efforts to improve transparency and ensure better delivery of social welfare programmes.
Speaking at a stakeholder meeting in Abuja on Thursday themed “Strengthening Local Government Leadership for Inclusive Development and Social Protection Delivery,” the National Coordinator of NASSCO, Dr. Funmi Olotu, explained that linking the NIN to the social register is designed to improve data quality, remove duplication, and make sure government support reaches the intended beneficiaries.
She added that the federal government is working to strengthen the social protection system in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to her, “To strengthen this foundation, we are integrating the National Identification Number into the Register. This reform enhances data integrity, eliminates duplication, and ensures that interventions reach the right people with precision and credibility.”
Olotu further stated that the National Social Register now includes over 20 million households and more than 77 million individuals across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“At the centre of this effort is the National Social Register, a national platform designed to identify and support poor and vulnerable households across the country,” she said.
She reported that progress has been made nationwide, noting that “Across 37 states and 774 Local Government Areas, covering 8,756 wards and 217,777 communities, over 9.7 million household records have been updated, with 12.3 million NINs captured and 11.5 million successfully validated.”
Olotu emphasised that local governments play a key role in effective social protection because they are closest to the people and better understand community needs.
“Local Governments are not merely administrative structures, but institutions of service delivery, closest to the people and essential to translating policy into real outcomes in citizens’ lives,” she said.
She urged local government chairmen to take responsibility for driving the integration process at the grassroots level, stating, “You are not just stakeholders in this process. You are the drivers of execution. You are closest to the communities, you understand the realities on the ground, and you are uniquely positioned to ensure effective implementation of the NIN integration process.”
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Olubunmi Olusanya, described the National Social Register as an important tool for poverty reduction and humanitarian coordination.
He explained that the ministry is developing a unified system called the “One Humanitarian–One Poverty Response System” to improve coordination across government programmes.
He said, “The National Social Register remains a central pillar of this architecture. It provides a credible and verifiable basis for identifying poor and vulnerable households.”
Olusanya noted that integrating NIN into the register would reduce duplication and improve data accuracy for planning and implementation.
He also warned that without full integration, some vulnerable Nigerians might miss out on government support, saying, “Without full NIN integration, many of them risk being excluded or unable to benefit from government interventions.”
He further stressed that local governments are essential to the success of the programme, adding, “Local Governments are not peripheral to this process, they are central to its success. Indeed, they represent the first line of credibility, verification, and last-mile delivery.”
The engagement brought together local government officials, ALGA representatives, development partners, and civil society groups working in social protection across the country.