Abuja: Sen. Ned Nwoko (APC-Delta) has called for the establishment of a National Social Security Agency (NSSA) in the country to replace the current Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. Nwoko, who represents Delta North Senatorial District, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, said the agency would be a data-driven body.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the agency, if established, would sit under the Office of the President, with the idea being simple in language but consequential in intent. The lawmaker, who mentioned having written an open letter and also presented a bill on it before the senate, described the measure as a structural fix. He said that instead of the present ministry model which delivers short term palliatives and, at times, fragmented programmes, the NSSA would centralise targeting, payments, and long-term planning for the poor, elderly, unemployed, and other vulnerable groups.
Nwoko explained that data-based registration, biometric IDs, unified databases, and direct, traceable payments are part of the blueprint. Every beneficiary would be registered on a unified database, verified, and supported directly through transparent, trackable payments. He emphasized that the bill is important because Nigeria’s social protection architecture has been criticised for being reactive rather than preventative.
Frequent emergencies, food inflation, and rising unemployment have increased vulnerability, and ad hoc cash transfers and donor-led initiatives have not succeeded in creating a dependable safety net. Nwoko argued that a legal, well-funded agency would protect dignity by ensuring entitlement and predictability rather than leaving relief to the shifting priorities of ministers and short political cycles.
He also stressed that Nigerians deserve a system that views their right to survival as a constitutional obligation, not a favor. He suggested that social security funds should be treated as a first-line charge from the Federation Account, deducted at source, and distributed by law. Nwoko pointed out that if lawmakers can guarantee salaries for political office holders through a first-line charge, then it is certainly possible to guarantee food and shelter for citizens in need.
He mentioned that the bill had passed its first reading and has received public support from several civil society groups who see the switch as a necessary reform.