By Paul Joseph
Lead: Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has said the Federal Government is legally required to provide cash transfers, grants and other social protection programmes for poor and vulnerable Nigerians, warning that failure to fund the initiatives in the 2026 budget could trigger legal action.
Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), said the obligation is backed by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (Establishment) Act, 2023, stressing that poverty alleviation programmes are statutory responsibilities rather than acts of generosity.
In a statement released on Sunday, the senior lawyer said public debate on poverty reduction should focus on the government’s legal responsibilities instead of individual charitable efforts.
According to him, the law establishing the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) mandates the Federal Government to implement programmes aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment across the country.
“It has become necessary to draw the attention of Nigerians to the National Social Investment Programme Agency (Establishment) Act, 2023, which places a legal obligation on the Federal Government to reduce poverty and unemployment,” Falana said.
He added that grants and other social interventions should no longer be viewed as politically motivated gestures but as legal entitlements for eligible citizens.
Falana’s remarks followed comments by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, who recently encouraged Nigerians not to lose hope despite economic hardship, saying businesses such as selling akara, roasting corn and producing kulikuli require little capital and can provide sustainable livelihoods.
While acknowledging the First Lady’s empowerment initiatives, which focus on grants rather than loans, Falana said many Nigerians believe the broader issue is the government’s constitutional and statutory duty to provide social protection.
He explained that the NSIPA Act established the agency to coordinate interventions for vulnerable citizens, unemployed youths and small business owners through four flagship programmes: N-Power, the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni), and the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.
Falana also noted that the agency is required to collaborate with state social investment agencies to implement poverty reduction initiatives nationwide.
He recalled that allegations of fraud under the previous administration prompted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to propose legislation transferring the management of social investment programmes from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to the Presidency to improve transparency and accountability through the National Social Register.
However, he observed that the amendment bill is still awaiting passage by the National Assembly.
Pending its approval, Falana urged the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to regularly update Nigerians on the implementation of poverty reduction programmes, while calling on citizens to demand periodic reports from state social investment agencies.
Citing official figures, he said the National Bureau of Statistics estimates that about 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, while PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria projects the number could rise to 141 million, representing about 62 per cent of the country’s population.
Falana warned that if the Federal Government fails to adequately fund poverty reduction programmes in 2026 as required by law, ASCAB will challenge the decision at the Federal High Court.
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