By Femi Mustapha in Kaduna
Delta State has taken a bold step to protect residents from the effects of poverty by creating a dedicated N20 billion welfare fund under its 2026 Appropriation Law. Civil society groups say this move indicates a shift toward more unified and transparent social protection spending.
Innocent Edemhanria, Program Manager of the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), made this statement available to the media in Kaduna.
The report noted that the fund is managed directly by the Governor’s office and was not included in the 2025 budget.
He explained that establishing this budget line demonstrates the state government’s commitment to making interventions for vulnerable groups more visible, organized, and accountable.
Edemhanria highlighted that this intervention comes at a time when poverty remains a major challenge across the country. Citing the World Bank Nigeria Development Update, he said Nigeria’s poverty rate reached 63% in 2025 and is projected to decline slightly to 62%, or about 141 million people, in 2026, due to high food inflation, weak job creation, and macroeconomic reforms.
“Although the federal government disputes these figures, the reality on the ground shows many families still struggle to find their next meal, making state-level action essential,” he added.
Delta’s new welfare initiative is supported by law. The Delta State Social Investment Program Law was signed alongside the 2026 budget in December 2025, and the Social Protection Bill was passed earlier to ensure that interventions are coordinated and effective.
For years, Edemhanria explained, funds meant for vulnerable populations in Delta were spread across different ministries, departments, and agencies, making oversight difficult. The 2026 budget addresses this by consolidating welfare spending into a single, trackable account.
Within the N1.7 trillion budget signed by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the N20 billion is allocated for four key areas: cash transfers to vulnerable households, in-kind support for artisans and small traders, support for small and medium enterprises to boost livelihoods, and targeted programs for underserved populations often excluded from traditional welfare schemes.
Beyond the N20 billion, the government has committed additional funds. An extra N110 billion has been allocated under recurrent expenditure for social benefits, pensions, and other safety nets. Another N100 billion has been set aside for Local Government Area interventions, averaging about N4 billion per LGA in Delta.
“The Act Naija project consortium views this decentralized approach as significant, since it pushes resources and decision-making closer to grassroots communities that need them most, rather than concentrating everything at the state capital,” Edemhanria said.
He also mentioned that Delta is connecting its social protection efforts to broader human capital development. Health funding increased from N30 billion in 2025 to N50.067 billion in 2026. Education received N105.086 billion, and agriculture was allocated N10 billion for food security and agro-investment—sectors that closely relate to the livelihoods of artisans, traders, and SMEs targeted by the N20 billion package.
Through the Act Naija! project, ANEEJ, in partnership with Bread for the World and NISD, co-funded by the EU, has been working in Delta and six other states to make Nigeria’s social protection system more inclusive. The project focuses on raising public awareness, building the capacity of local organizations to monitor service delivery, and encouraging dialogue between civil society and government.
Edemhanria stated that Delta’s 2026 budget sets a model and standard for other states.
“Consolidating a previously scattered social protection budget into a single, trackable N20 billion vote is the kind of structural reform that makes citizen oversight easy,” he said.
However, he warned that the real test will be in how well these plans are implemented.
“The question now is whether cash transfers will reach vulnerable households, whether artisans and small traders will receive the promised in-kind support, and whether the N100 billion for LGA interventions will be felt across all 25 local government areas,” Edemhanria added.
He assured that the Act Naija project will continue monitoring how these allocations move from budget lines to actual disbursements, to keep Delta residents informed about the progress.