Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, has disclosed that four states, including Benue, Abia, Oyo, and Sokoto, and the federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been selected to benefit from the €13 million EU-funded project Supporting Sustainable Social Protection System in Nigeria (SUSI).
The EU Ambassador, who disclosed this during the inauguration of the project in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, explained that the EU, in collaboration with UNICEF and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), is implementing the project in the four selected states.
He explained that the idea is to build a more resilient and inclusive social protection system in Nigeria.
According to him, „SUSI aims at strengthening social protection systems to better respond to shocks, reduce poverty, and also protect the vulnerable populations, including children, women, persons with disabilities, and those affected by conflict and displacement.”
The EU Ambassador described the recent violence in Benue as a painful reminder of how vulnerable communities are to trauma and shocks, saying, “The EU is helping to build stronger, more inclusive social protection systems through this partnership so that no one is left behind in a crisis”.
In a remark, the UNICEF representative in Nigeria Cristian Munduate, said when families are forced to flee on account of violence, they lose their livelihoods or face poverty, and social protection becomes a life-saving measure, adding that SUSI will help create systems that can respond quickly and reach those most in need, especially children, before their lives are permanently derailed.
Also speaking, Vanessa Phala, the director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, said, „Social protection is a right and a foundation for social justice. This project will strengthen the policy and legal frameworks, data systems, and financial mechanisms to ensure people have the security and opportunity to live in dignity.”
In a welcome address, Governor Hyacinth Alia, who was represented by Deputy Governor Sam Ode, commended the EU team for choosing Benue among the four states to implement the SUSI project, and lamented that “Our communities in Benue have endured recurring waves of violence, economic hardship, and displacement.
This initiative is timely and deeply needed because it will equip us with systems to reach affected families swiftly, protect the most vulnerable, and rebuild lives with dignity. It is a critical step toward ensuring that no one falls through the cracks again.”
Earlier, the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who commiserated with the survivors of the Yelwata attack, said the SUSI project is perfectly aligned with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and our commitment to institutionalising a social protection system that is both inclusive and shock-responsive.
According to him, „With the SUSI project’s multi-stakeholder approach, we now have the tools, partnerships, and momentum to ensure that no crisis, no matter how sudden, leaves Nigerian families without support or hope.”
