Skip to main content

GOVERNMENT IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO TRANSFER CASH AND GRANTS TO POOR CITIZENS

GOVERNMENT IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO TRANSFER CASH AND GRANTS TO POOR CITIZENS


A few days ago, Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, urged Nigerians not to lose hope despite the country's economic challenges, saying that small-scale businesses such as selling akara (bean cake), roasting corn, and producing kulikuli require little capital and can provide a means of livelihood.


Speaking on efforts to empower citizens, Senator Tinubu said her initiatives have focused on providing grants rather than loans to enable beneficiaries to start small businesses. The suggestion has been widely rejected by many Nigerians, who argue that selling akara and kulikuli cannot lift people out of poverty.


However, it has become necessary to draw the attention of Nigerians to the National Social Investment Programme Agency (Establishment) Act, 2023, which imposes a legal obligation on the Federal Government to reduce poverty and unemployment. It should be understood that providing grants to poor and vulnerable people is no longer a matter of political discretion. It is now a legal obligation owed by the government to citizens, rather than an act of charity or generosity.


Accordingly, the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) was established under the National Social Investment Programme Agency (Establishment) Act, 2023 to deliver social assistance to vulnerable persons, youths, and small business owners. In line with the provisions of the Act, the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) comprises four major components:


N-Power: A job creation and skills development programme for young adults between the ages of 18 and 35.


Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT): Direct financial grants provided to the poorest and most vulnerable households.


Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP): Micro-lending initiatives, including TraderMoni, MarketMoni, and FarmerMoni, are designed to support market women and young entrepreneurs.


National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP): Provision of free meals to pupils in public schools to combat hunger and improve school enrolment.



The National Social Investment Programme Agency is also required to collaborate with State Social Investment Programme Agencies (SIPAs) to address economic inequality and support vulnerable households through the implementation of poverty reduction and social protection programmes.


However, following the massive fraud that characterised the management of the social investment programmes by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction during the Buhari administration, President Tinubu has forwarded a bill to the National Assembly to legalise the transfer of responsibility for the poverty reduction programmes from the Ministry to the Presidency. The proposed amendment is intended to enhance transparency and improve programme implementation through the effective utilisation of the National Social Register.


Since the National Social Investment Programme Agency (Amendment) Bill has not yet been passed by the National Assembly, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction is hereby called upon to brief Nigerians regularly on its activities. Similarly, Nigerians should request information from the State Social Investment Programme Agencies regarding the poverty reduction initiatives being implemented in their respective states.


It is pertinent to point out that the National Social Investment Programme Agency (Establishment) Act, 2023 was enacted to facilitate the implementation of Section 16 of the Constitution, which directs the Nigerian State to control the national economy in such a manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom, and happiness of every citizen.


According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, no fewer than 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor. PwC Nigeria has also projected that the number of poor Nigerians will rise from 133 million to 141 million—representing about 62 per cent of the country's population. Therefore, any refusal by the Federal Government to fund poverty reduction programmes in the 2026 fiscal year, in accordance with the provisions of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (Establishment) Act, 2023, will be challenged by the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) at the Federal High Court.


Femi Falana, SAN

Chair,

Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB)


July 5, 2026

Location: Nigeria

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A DECADE OF SILENCE: HOW NIGERIA’S POLICE FORCE LEFT APPROXIMATELY 1,850 GRADUATE OFFICERS IN A PROLONGED PROMOTION PROCESS

 A DECADE OF SILENCE: HOW NIGERIA’S POLICE FORCE LEFT APPROXIMATELY 1,850 GRADUATE OFFICERS IN A PROLONGED PROMOTION PROCESS EXCLUSIVE REPORT By Daniel Nduka Okonkwo Tonight, while the nation sleeps, heroes in uniform stand guard, our police officers, the living shield between chaos and safety. Their courage is not a favour but a duty fulfilled with sacrifice. Ensuring that such service is matched with fair and transparent career progression remains essential to institutional integrity and morale. A duly initiated upgrading exercise in 2015 raised the expectations of nearly two thousand educated police officers. Nearly a decade later, according to available accounts and officer testimonies, the process remains unresolved, even as their peers have advanced and reform discussions continue within the sector. In June 2015, the Nigeria Police Force issued an official wireless signal to officers across commands, inviting graduate Inspectors and rank and file personnel who had acquired un...
Post a Comment
Read more

With Government Backing, Lingering Questions Remain: When Will Brekete Family Smart City Be Ready?

With Government Backing, Lingering Questions Remain: When Will Brekete Family Smart City Be Ready? By Daniel Nduka Okonkwo Real estate development, whether residential, commercial, or mixed-use, is rarely a simple undertaking. It demands structured planning, strict legal compliance, financial discipline, and consistent on-site execution. From land acquisition and project phasing to infrastructure delivery and final habitation, each stage must be carefully coordinated to translate vision into reality. The Brekete Family Smart City Estate, an ambitious private-led housing project initiated by renowned broadcaster and activist Ahmed Isa, was conceived with that same vision: to deliver a modern, inclusive, and smart urban community for ordinary Nigerians. Yet, more than a decade after subscriptions began, the project remains largely undeveloped, raising persistent questions among subscribers: when will it finally be ready? Subscriptions for the Brekete Family Smart City Estate opened betwe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Over 200 Nigerian politicians, governors, senators, security chiefs, senior civil servants, and other politically connected individuals have stashed at least $7 billion in Dubai properties across at least 1,824 traced assets, making Nigeria the second-largest source of foreign property buyers in Dubai after India

Over 200 Nigerian politicians, governors, senators, security chiefs, senior civil servants, and other politically connected individuals have stashed at least $7 billion in Dubai properties across at least 1,824 traced assets, making Nigeria the second-largest source of foreign property buyers in Dubai after India By Daniel Nduka Okonkwo The $7 billion figure is drawn from three separate documented investigations spanning more than a decade. A 2012 report established that Nigerians had invested up to $6 billion in Dubai real estate over the preceding three years alone. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, drawing on the C4ADS Sandcastles property dataset, subsequently identified 800 Dubai properties linked to Nigerian politically exposed persons, valued at approximately $400 million as of 2020. By 2024, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s landmark Dubai Unlocked investigation, conducted with more than 70 international media partners, had traced that figure ...
Post a Comment
Read more