The Ebonyi State Government has warned enumerators involved in the expansion of the State and National Social Registers that they will face sanctions if found demanding money from residents, insisting that registration must be free of charge.
The Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring, Mrs Ann Aligwe, issued the warning in Abakaliki during the training of enumerators and desk officers for the exercise, which targets 500,000 households across the state.
Aligwe cautioned that extortion and other sharp practices would not be tolerated, warning that such misconduct could undermine the credibility of the registration exercise and jeopardise the state's participation in the proposed $1 billion World Bank-supported social protection and empowerment programme.
She said the exercise would be closely monitored to ensure compliance with established procedures, adding that any enumerator found demanding payment from residents would be penalised.
The commissioner urged the personnel to discharge their duties with transparency, professionalism and integrity, stressing that the credibility of the data collected would determine its usefulness in identifying households for targeted government interventions.
According to her, the information gathered would support planning and interventions in health, agriculture, education, social welfare and other critical sectors.
She also called on enumerators to work cooperatively with residents, explain the purpose of the exercise and ensure that eligible households were properly captured without undue demands or financial inducements.
The initiative, supported by the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru, is intended to strengthen the state's household data for social protection planning and targeted assistance.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Henry Nworie, urged residents to take ownership of the programme and cooperate with registration officials to ensure its success.
The State Coordinator of the State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU), Wilson Umahi Eke, was also identified as a key stakeholder in the exercise.
