Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to urgently prioritise funding for welfare programmes aimed at alleviating poverty among Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens, rather than spending billions on luxury infrastructure.
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Reacting on Sunday to President Tinubu’s recent remarks urging governors to “wet the grass” and ease the economic suffering at the grassroots, Falana said the Federal Government must lead by example by fully funding and enforcing the Social Investment Programme Agency Act 2023, rather than passing the responsibility to the states.
He said, “The President has acknowledged the hardship being faced by Nigerians due to neoliberal policies, but asking governors to do more while the Federal Government spends N39 billion renovating the International Conference Centre and only N32.7 billion on poverty alleviation programmes is unacceptable and insensitive.”
Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), listed the critical social welfare schemes enshrined in the 2023 Act, including the N-Power youth empowerment programme, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), and Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) for vulnerable households.
He argued that with 133 million Nigerians living in multi-dimensional poverty, the Federal Executive Council must immediately approve at least N5 trillion for the National Social Investment Programme—a higher priority than roads, airports, or statehouse renovations.
The senior advocate also faulted the lopsided priorities in the 2025 national budget, citing BudgIT’s report that exposed over 11,000 allegedly padded projects worth N6.93 trillion—nearly 13% of the N54.99 trillion budget. He also condemned the monthly earnings of lawmakers, with Senators and House of Representatives members reportedly receiving N21 million and N15 million respectively.
“It is time to enact the Social Investment Programme Agency Act across all 36 states. The N11.2 trillion FAAC disbursed to states and local governments in one year alone is more than enough to run credible welfare schemes.”
He therefore urged that any future funds allocated to social welfare should be managed transparently by representatives of the Federal Government, labour unions, and civil society to avoid mismanagement and political capture.
“Rather than begging governors, the President must act decisively. You don’t lift millions out of poverty with rhetoric, you do it with responsible budgeting and urgent implementation,” Falana stated.
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