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System for safeguarding Chinese people’s living standards further improved

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By Yang Hao, People’s Daily

By rolling out a series of policies in the interests of the people and providing them with assistance subsidies, the Chinese government has built a closely knit network for guaranteeing people’s well-being.

In 2014, China’s State Council issued Interim Measures for Social Assistance, which created a full-fledged social assistance system; in 2020, a directive on reforming and perfecting the system was rolled out.

Last year, the annual assistance subsidies allocated to people in need by the central government rose to 147.6 billion yuan ($22.2 billion); and the average subsistence allowance in urban and rural areas across the country grew to 711 yuan and 530 yuan per person per month, respectively, compared with 330 yuan and 172 yuan per person per month in 2012.

China has endeavored to make social assistance more effective. As a tiered and classified social assistance system is gradually built and improved in the country, mechanisms concerning basic living assistance, social assistance for special purposes and temporary assistance in emergencies and disasters have matured.

The country’s subsistence allowance system makes sure that all people with serious illness or severe disabilities and other people eligible for the government’s subsistence allowance can enjoy the allowance.

To ensure that all people in extreme poverty can receive assistance and support from the government, the country’s scheme for assistance and support for severely impoverished people integrates assistance for urban residents without income, the ability to work, or support by family and rural residents eligible for the “Five Guarantees” (food, clothing, medical care, housing, education for orphans or funeral expenses): those who are unable to work and have no source of income, including the elderly, the disabled and minors who have no legal guardians to support them, and regulates the identification of people in extreme difficulty.

The mechanism for temporary assistance makes good use of petty cash of townships and subdistricts for emergency assistance, thus solving the sudden, urgent and temporary difficulties of people in a timely manner.

China has consolidated the fruits of poverty alleviation to guarantee people’s basic living standards.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) has introduced measures to strengthen the complementarity of rural subsistence allowance system and poverty alleviation and development policies to solidify the foundations for the social security system for years.

Since the end of 2017, the standards of eligibility for rural subsistence allowances in all Chinese county-level regions have consistently reached or exceeded the national poverty line.

As of the end of 2020, 19.36 million registered impoverished people in China had been covered by the country’s social assistance system, which accounted for 19.6 percent of the population lifted out of poverty in the country.

The MCA has guided regions in improving the system for actively discovering people in straitened circumstances and achieving more accurate identification of the group so that people in need can receive timely assistance.

Lichuan county, Fuzhou city, east China’s Jiangxi province, has ensured precise identification of people in need of social assistance through grid-based management. It has built a three-tiered grid-based database for these people, which includes 561 grids.

Dezhou city, east China’s Shandong province, has established a mechanism for the dynamic monitoring of low-income population and gained a panoramic portrait of the economic situation of each household. Besides, the city has incorporated 42 relief policies and some welfare policies originally handled by 15 functional departments into one platform. By employing data, the city has provided targeted assistance for over 1.18 million people.

Social assistance has effectively made people’s life easier. Ma Jifei, a farmer in Hongsibao district, Wuzhong city, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region, tried applying for subsistence allowance for his sick father after he lost sources of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and had trouble affording medical care for his father. According to Ma, the application was quickly approved.

In an effort to help urban and rural residents who are struck by the pandemic and disasters and thus face troubles with basic living, local civil affairs authorities have adjusted promptly and introduced many social assistance policies and measures, expanding the coverage of subsistence allowance and temporary assistance and providing one-time temporary relief funds for uninsured and unemployed persons that can’t guarantee minimum living standards.

Guided by these policies and measures, governments of areas hit by emergencies and disasters provide temporary assistance in a timely manner for migrants without local household registration status who face severe difficulties with basic living.

These policies and measures also stress enhancing visit to and care services for people amid the pandemic and arranging personnel to provide timely care and assistance for special groups, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, in the homes of COVID-19 patients who are being isolated and treated.

As China’s network for safeguarding people’s living standards becomes increasingly tight, the country is bound to achieve even greater results in guaranteeing people’s well-being.

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SERAP sues Akpabio over ‘failure to reverse unlawful suspension of Natasha Akpoti’

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The group argues that the suspension is unlawful and violates her fundamental right to freedom of expression.

SERAP is seeking a court order compelling Akpabio to reverse the six-month suspension, reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan, and restore all her legislative privileges. The organization also wants an injunction preventing the Senate from imposing further disciplinary actions against her for expressing her views.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended after she reportedly spoke without permission and rejected a new seat assignment in the Senate chamber. As part of her suspension, her salary and allowances have been withheld, and she has been barred from identifying as a senator.

In its suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP contends that the suspension deprives Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituents of political representation. The organization also argues that penalizing a senator for exercising free speech creates a chilling effect on other lawmakers.

“No one should ever be punished for speaking without permission,” SERAP stated. “The Senate should uphold the rule of law and protect human rights, not suppress them.”

The group cites constitutional provisions and international human rights treaties, including Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

SERAP maintains that the Senate Standing Orders cannot override constitutional guarantees of free speech. The lawsuit emphasizes that restricting a senator’s expression undermines democracy and violates Nigerians’ right to receive information and participate politically.

No date has been set for the hearing of the case.

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Market associations, women groups knock el-Rufai, rally support for Tinubu, Gov Sani

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Ahead of the 2027 elections, hundreds of members of market associations and numerous women groups in Kaduna state at the weekend, occupied Kaduna metropolis in a peaceful demonstration where they reiterated their loyalty and support to the administration of
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The protesters who alleged that they had bitter experiences during the El-Rufa’i administration, said they would remain where Governor Uba Sani stood and advised the citizens of Kaduna not to be deceived by doing the contrary.
They recounted their ordeals during the 8 years of the previous administration, alleging that hundreds of market shops belonging to individuals were either seized, demolished or confiscated, a situation that triggered ill health in many traders and business owners leading to paralysis and multiple deaths of their colleagues.

“We’ve been in the market for over 40 years and have never experienced the kind of set backs we suffered under the previous Governor.”

“A lot of lives were lost,a lot of finances were ruined by reason of his kind of policies. We are here to speak with one voice and say that anything that would kind of revive such kind of philosophy in Kaduna market, we don’t want it,” Daniel Audu Maigari, a stakeholder of the Kaduna Market associations, has said.

He explained that “this incumbent Governor began by healing the wounds, the wounds that were really severed by the former Governor. Governor Uba Sani has been doing so,so very well and that’s why we’ve been with our leader, Alhaji Abdurrahman Mohammed, who like Governor Sani,has been charting the right course, ensuring programmes and plans that will heal these wounds .”

He said there was never been a time they are having the impact of leadership in Kaduna market, like they are having now.

” Now we’ve lots of incentives, lots of policies that are driving us to progress .We are now standing with one voice to denounce anything that would reverse this,” he said.

Alhaji Daiyabu Ismail Mai Gwanjo, Chairman Stakeholders of the Kaduna State Market Traders associations, said on behalf of their leader,Alhaji Abdurrahman Mohammed, his EXCO and all trader leaders in the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, they have gathered to unilaterally declare an unalloyed support to Governor Uba Sani who had taken care of them and protected their interests.
According to him,” we have to say so,haven had the harrowing experience in the hands of the past administration. The scar still remains and many are yet to recover.”
“But when Almighty Allah sent Governor Uba Sani to us,he declared he would not do anything bad to traders because the world thrives on businesses.All the most cherished countries like China, Canada, UAE, India,are very proud of and supportive to their traders and other business persons.”

“Unfortunately, we found ourselves during the previous administration that neither showed empathy nor sympathy to traders. An approximate number of 36 markets were demolished at that time.None of these markets was completely rebuild ,till date,and we are suspicious of the collaboration between the previous administration and the market developers.”

“We are therefore calling on Governor Uba Sani, our Governor of sympathy and understanding, to look at this issue with a view to resolving it.We are with Uba Sani a hundred percent, ” he added.

Hajiya Hadiza Abdulaziz,a woman leader of the market association,said they have gathered in multitudes to reiterate their support to the APC and Governor Uba Sani who has tremendously supported the market men and women in Kaduna State.
” Most of the market women had no shops because the shops were collected. But now we give God the glory everybody has gotten their shops back and nobody will collect it again,” she said.

She expressed happiness that those making the market women not to achieve, had left the party and government.

“We’ve been crying, a lot of market women don’t have capital, they have been deceiving us.But now,I believe Governor Uba Sani is going to assist us,”she added.

The protesters later took to the streets ,displaying placards with various inscriptions denouncing the previous arrangements, and chanting slogans in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
” Most of the market women had no shops because the shops were collected. But now we give God the glory everybody has gotten their shops back and nobody will collect it again,” she said.

She expressed happiness that those making the market women not to achieve, had left the party and government.

“We’ve been crying, a lot of market women don’t have capital, they have been deceiving us.But now,I believe Governor Uba Sani is going to assist us,”she added.

The protesters later took to the streets ,displaying placards with various inscriptions denouncing the previous arrangements, and chanting slogans in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress, APC.

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Obasanjo bemoans selection process of traditional rulers in Nigeria

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has raised concerns over the selection process of traditional rulers in Nigeria, stating that criminal elements have infiltrated royal institutions. He lamented that individuals with questionable backgrounds, including drug addicts, vagabonds, bandits, and kidnappers, now hold positions of authority as traditional rulers.

Obasanjo made these remarks in his newly released book, Nigeria: Past and Future, unveiled last week. He criticized the rapid increase in traditional rulers, many of whom, he claimed, lack the training and moral integrity required for the role. According to him, this deterioration has weakened the institution’s ability to contribute positively to the nation’s socio-political stability.

“Today, there are criminals, drug addicts, vagabonds, bandits, and kidnappers as so-called traditional rulers,” Obasanjo stated, stressing that some have abandoned their cultural responsibilities and engaged in misconduct. He cited an example of a monarch allegedly involved in electoral malpractice, questioning the moral integrity of such leaders.

“How do we account for a traditional ruler snatching a ballot box at an election polling station and running away with it?” he queried.

Reflecting on the past, Obasanjo noted that traditional rulers once commanded immense respect, especially during colonial and early post-independence eras. However, he said, their influence has been diluted due to the lack of proper training and moral reformation.

“The class of traditional rulers with their distinction, honour, and dignity, as we knew them in the colonial days and early post-independence days, has been diluted and polluted,” he remarked.

Calling for urgent reforms, the former president stressed the need to restore the lost dignity of traditional leadership. He emphasized that rather than being a liability, traditional rulers should play a vital role in national development.

“That dignity, aura, and respect should be brought back, and traditional rulers should be an asset to Nigeria’s development and greatness, not a liability,” he asserted.

Obasanjo further called for moral rejuvenation among traditional rulers, particularly those from historically significant institutions. He maintained that if properly positioned, they could contribute significantly to Nigeria’s long-term progress.

“There is a need for moral re-armament among the traditional rulers—the ancient and historic ones. They can and should make meaningful contributions to the Nigeria of our dreams that will serve the purpose and interest of all,” he concluded.

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