COVID-19: Key Into RRR Scheme, Kogi Government urges residents

Kogi State Government has urged residents of the state to key into the  Rapid Response Register, RRR, saying it will serve as a data base to deliver social assistance and emergency response, during future emergencies as well as disasters.

Our Kogi State Correspondent reports that the Kogi State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Asiru idris, gave the advice, today, Wednesday May 12, during a press conference organized to sensitize Kogites towards the success of the programme in the State.

While admonishing kogites to respond to messages on their phones and get registered, Idris noted that the Rapid Response Register, RRR, was a shock response framework, designed by the National Social Safety-Net Program, NASSP in collaboration with the World Bank, to provide emergency social interventions to poor and vulnerable households in challenging circumstances (Natural disaster, epidemic, pandemic, economic and downturn).

According to him, the RRR is a Subset of the National Social Register, NSR and State Social Register, SSR, which is deployed for emergency circumstances and interventions.

He mentioned that Kogi State Government under the leadership of  Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, in collaboration with Federal Government efforts, is to target and capture the urban and semi urban areas in Kogi State, that are economically impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This according to him, is because the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed people deeper into poverty and
vulnerability.

"In Nigeria at large and Kogi State in particular, the economic impact of the pandemic has been felt mostly by urban and semi-urban dwellers, many of whom lost jobs, businesses and consequently incomes.

"Although Kogi State remains the safest state so far, but the global economic down-turn due the pandemic, has brought enormous hardship on our people.

"In response to these economic shocks, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in partnership with the World Bank, is building The Rapid Response Register as an intervention to identify and document the urban and semi-urban poor, who have lost their income and consequently become poorer, because of COVID-19.

"The Register is being built in Kogi State to target, those in the category of non-traditional poor people in urban and high-density locations or slums where the pandemic has affected economic life.

"Individuals/households in the Rapid Response Register, will be paid a monthly stipend for at-least six months under an expanded Cash Transfer Programme of the Federal Government. This will boost their consumption and build their resilience.

"To identify those made poorer in Urban and semi-urban areas for registration, geographical satellite remote sensing technology to locate urban poor wards and high-density settlements, is deployed to Kogi State.

"Targeting and enrolment of affected individuals will be done using cellphone short messaging service (SMS) technology that allows residents of identified communities register to be assisted by following simple steps via_USSD codes. This technology approach is integrated with the National Living Standard Survey assessments and will be complemented by existing databases of NGOs, local selp help-support groups and neighborhood structures in the communities"

"Mobile phone numbers of applicants validated and deemed eligible for assistance will be linked to digitized bank accounts to receive N5000 monthly stipends", he explained.

The State Coordinator, Kogi State Operation Coordinating Unit, SOCU, Dr. Noah Alilu, while explaining how COVID-19 pandemic has affected the people in the last one year in Nigeria, noted that the invention of Rapid Response Register, was timely as it will help to enhance productivity and accountability, during emergency and disaster management.

Alilu, maintained that after Gombe State that has 70 wards, Kogi State is the second with 52 wards.
He said only Ankpa and Ajaokuta are the two local governments that have not been captured and a petition has been sent to ensure that it is done.

He said the aim was to sensitize the people on the need to key into the programme and also get the needed support for the COVID-19 cash payment initiated by the Federal Government, under the Supervision of the Office of the Vice President.

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