Social protection: Perfecting life-changing modalities for Adamawa, Borno
Indications by midweek were that while Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s tight schedule for several weeks may be the main obstacle to the signing into law of the Adamawa State Social Protection
- By Onimisi Alao
Indications by midweek were that while Governor Ahmadu Fintiri's tight schedule for several weeks may be the main obstacle to the signing into law of the Adamawa State Social Protection Bill, in Borno State, a similar bill, in the House of Assembly, is said to be in promising hands.
The Adamawa State House of Assembly had a little over a month ago, on February 23, passed its bill for a law to provide for Social Protection.
The Adamawa State Social Protection Bill, sponsored by the Assembly Majority Leader, Hon Kate Mamuno, provides for coordinated interventions for vulnerable populations, including people with low incomes, unemployed youths, the physically challenged, the aged, widows, and the sick.
Developed with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (through GIZ Nigeria) and the European Union (EU) under the Supporting Sustainable Social Protection, Participation, and Economic Resilience in North East Nigeria (SEPIN- SUSI) programme, the bill is designed to make relevant authorities provide support to disadvantaged residents.
Following the passage of the bill, the Speaker, Rt Hon Bathiya Wesley, directed the Clerk of the House to prepare a clean copy for onward transmission to the state governor for assent.
So, the bill now lies in a file for the attention of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.
The GIZ Head of Component, Social Protection, Mr Gyanggyang Yimave, provided an update on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, on the drive for social protection in Adamawa and Borno states.
Yimave expressed optimism about the bill on Governor Ahmadu Fintiri's table being signed into law, saying, "The governor has been super busy these past several weeks; we feel sure that he will sign the bill when his tight schedules ease off."
In Borno State, where a replica Social Protection Bill is still in the legislative process, there is assurance that it will be passed by the Borno State House of Assembly.
"The bill is still in development but the Speaker (of the Borno State House of Assembly) is one of the champions," Yimave said, adding that other principal members of the Assembly are keen to see that the bill gets passed in due time.
Adamawa and Borno states share the advantage of being the two states in the North East for which radical moves have been made and are being made to institutionalize social protection for the masses.
Social Protection is the sum of interventions, in cash and in other ways, by government and non-government institutions alike, to ease the task of living for all.
Adamawa State has a fully developed Social Protection Policy, and the bill to give it legal backing is what was passed by the state House of Assembly in February.
Representatives of relevant ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as CSOs and the media from both Adamawa and Borno states, recently met in Abuja at a workshop to fine-tune the processes of social protection implementation in the respective states.
More specifically, they gathered for a week-long Co-Creation Workshop on Social Protection Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Management Strategy.
The workshop, one of the projects under GIZ's Supporting Sustainable Social Protection, Participation and Economic Resilience in Northeast Nigeria (SEPIN SUSI) Program, was for deliberations intended to advance the processes to strengthen social protection implementation in Adamawa and Borno states.
In their presentations over the days of the workshop, resource persons took the participants through the rudiments and practices of co-creation and knowledge management with specific references to how they would apply in the Adamawa/Borno social protection ecosystems, with emphasis on who will play what role.
They presented overviews and led group sessions on existing simple tools, such as WhatsApp groups, and their roles in facilitating knowledge sharing and learning toward successful co-creation efforts. They also evaluated existing knowledge sharing and learning approaches, among other things, all aimed at successfully implementing social protection programs in Adamawa and Borno states.
A Development and Social Impact expert, Dr ThankGod Okosun who handled the co-creation sub-theme of the workshop, explained in a media interaction that he is consulting for GIZ on stakeholder engagement for the social protection strategy for Adamawa and Borno.
He reiterated that at the workshop, activities included identifying and delineating the respective roles of the stakeholders in the social protection space.
"We've also been helping to propose a functional organism, a structure of coordination to ensure smooth running of the programme," he added.
On his part, the knowledge management expert and GIZ consultant, Obinna Anah, said employing knowledge management at all levels to make social protection programs work in Adamawa and Borno states is his task.
Anah spoke on the overall idea of supporting sustainable social protection implementation, the need for the Co-creation Workshop on Social Protection Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Management Strategy, and how knowledge management is expected to impact social protection as the two states in view seek to pave the way for implementation.
"Beyond sponsorship and money, building people's capacity and providing them with knowledge will empower them to do things at less cost and greater efficiency," Anah said.
