The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP), has called on Lagos State government to allocate more funds and improve the budget for health and education, under the state Social Protection intervention policy.

This was revealed by the Non-Patrician group, during a roundtable meeting with Lagos State Social Protection Technical Working Group, and Persons with Disabilities, on promoting citizen-led Accountability in Lagos State Social Protection Programme.

 According to the Lagos State Government, the state’s Protection Policy, aims to establish a framework that is gender-sensitive and age appropriate including Persons with Disabilities, to ensure a minimum social floor for all its residents for a life of dignity.

SERAP, which made a report on the success of the State’s Social Protection intervention policy over the years, provided deeper information on identifying the implementation gaps, and make visible the barriers that have hindered a robust implementation of it in the state.

Presenting the report in Ikeja Lagos, the programs officer of SERAP, Odunayo Igbaoyinbo, noted that the essence of the gathering was to find a way to implement actions that would make the intervention policy better and live up to its expectations.

He said “The objective of this programme is to work with the MD’s, so that they can implement various aspects of the Social Protection Policy of Lagos State. We are trying to keep them informed on the research carried out, so that they can work on the policy and make sure that those that are supposed to enjoy the benefit of the policy, get access to it.”

Odunayo made a review of the health sector under the Socio Protection programme, in the state, noting that a larger percentage of the vulnerable and Persons with Disabilities, failed to benefit from it, as a result of low budget allocation and proper sensitization of the projected benefactors.

SERAP therefore made recommendations to Lagos State government on ways to make sure that a larger number of vulnerable people benefit from the state Social Protection intervention policy, which includes massive sensitization of  vulnerable people, and  MDA’s should advocate for more funds for Social Protection Policy in the health and education sector.