Public Policy and Social Protection Systems in Nigeria: Challenges of Inclusiveness and Sustainability.

Abstract:

This paper examines the dynamics of public policy and social protection systems in Nigeria, focusing on the twin challenges of inclusiveness and sustainability. Social protection has become a critical instrument for poverty reduction, human capital development, and social stability in Nigeria, with key programmes such as the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), and N-Power designed to mitigate vulnerability and promote resilience. Drawing from existing literature, empirical studies, and the Social Risk Management (SRM) theoretical framework, the paper analyses how Nigeria’s policy architecture has evolved to respond to poverty and inequality while contending with governance, fiscal, and institutional constraints. Findings reveal that although social protection interventions have improved income stability, education outcomes, and access to basic welfare among beneficiaries, coverage remains uneven due to political interference, data integrity issues, and weak coordination. Sustainability is further threatened by unstable funding, administrative discontinuity across political transitions, and limited integration of climate and labour-market resilience. The study concludes that for Nigeria’s social protection system to achieve lasting inclusiveness and sustainability, reforms must institutionalise transparency, legal backing, predictable financing, and adaptive mechanisms responsive to economic and environmental shocks. The paper recommends the enactment of a comprehensive Social Protection Act, the strengthening of the National Social Register, decentralised but coordinated delivery systems, and linkage of transfers to long-term economic inclusion strategies.