Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has insisted that the Federal Government is legally bound to provide cash transfers and other social protection programmes to poor and vulnerable Nigerians under the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) Act, 2023.
Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), warned that failure to fund poverty reduction initiatives in the 2026 fiscal year could lead to legal action against the government.
“Giving grants to poor and vulnerable people in society is no longer borne out of political interests. It has become the government’s legal obligation to citizens, not acts of charity or generosity,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
His remarks followed recent comments by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who encouraged Nigerians to embrace small-scale businesses such as selling akara, roasting corn, and producing kulikuli.
While acknowledging her empowerment programmes, Falana stressed that poverty alleviation must go beyond individual efforts and be anchored on statutory obligations.
He explained that the NSIPA Act mandates the Federal Government to implement four flagship programmes:
N-Power for youth employment and skills acquisitionConditional Cash Transfer for the poorest households
Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (TraderMoni, MarketMoni, FarmerMoni)National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme for pupils.
Falana recalled that allegations of fraud under the previous administration prompted President Bola Tinubu to propose moving the programmes from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to the Presidency for greater transparency, though the amendment bill is still pending in the National Assembly.
Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics, he noted that 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, with PwC projecting the figure could rise to 141 million.
He warned that ASCAB would challenge the government in court if it fails to comply with the NSIPA Act in 2026.
Falana urged Nigerians to demand accountability from both federal and state social investment agencies, stressing that poverty reduction is a constitutional duty tied to Section 16 of the 1999 Constitution.
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