Renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has challenged President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate concrete leadership in tackling Nigeria’s poverty crisis rather than merely urging state governors to act.
The senior advocate’s statement came in response to the President’s recent remarks at an APC governors’ meeting where Tinubu acknowledged citizens’ economic struggles, advising governors to “wet the grass more and deliver progressive change to Nigerians.”
Falana dismissed this as insufficient, asserting: “Instead of begging state governments to ‘wet ground more’, President Bola Tinubu is urged to ensure that the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act is adopted and enacted into law by the 36 state governments.”
The legal luminary exposed glaring disparities in government spending, noting that while ₦32.7 billion was allocated to National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) targeting 133 million poor Nigerians, authorities reportedly spent ₦39 billion renovating Abuja’s International Conference Centre.
He further highlighted how the ₦54.99 trillion 2025 budget contained ₦6.93 trillion in padded projects, even as legislators receive exorbitant monthly emoluments of ₦21 million (senators) and ₦15 million (House members).
“A government that recently claimed to have spent the sum of ₦39 billion for the renovation of the International Conference Centre…cannot justify the allocation of ₦32.7 billion to fund…programmes for the 133 million people that are said to be multi-dimensionally poor,” Falana argued.
Noting the ₦11.195 trillion shared through FAAC last year, Falana demanded immediate ₦5 trillion allocation to NSIP, with oversight by labor unions and civil society.
He cited the ₦3.5 trillion recently approved for infrastructure as proof of available resources, insisting social welfare deserves equal urgency.
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