Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has approved an expansion of the state’s social register to further support poor and vulnerable households. This decision aims to strengthen the government’s reach in delivering essential social intervention programs to those in need.

Salami Ismail, the Acting Coordinator of the State Operation Coordinating Unit, announced this development on Wednesday during advocacy visits to political leaders and management teams in 12 local government areas set to join the 10th round of the Community-Based Targeting (CBT) initiative. The expansion, as noted by Ismail in a statement released by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, aligns with Governor Makinde’s dedication to alleviating poverty in Oyo State.

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Originally established in 2013 with funding from the World Bank and later bolstered by federal support, the social register has served as a comprehensive tool for identifying and supporting low-income households. As Salami explained, “The expansion will incorporate additional poor and vulnerable households, reflecting changes in the community, where some households have exited vulnerability while others have newly entered this threshold.”

This update relies on a detailed, community-driven approach known as Community-Based Targeting, which ranks local government areas according to poverty levels. “The ranking process for communities within each council, based on poverty status, is conducted by the Community-Based Targeting Team, which includes trained local government officers,” Ismail added. This method ensures that resources are allocated accurately to the households most in need.