Falana urges full funding of social welfare programmes amidst rising poverty

Lagos — Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on the Federal Government to urgently prioritize the full funding and implementation of social welfare programmes to alleviate worsening economic hardship among Nigeria’s poor.

Speaking in response to President Bola Tinubu’s recent appeal to All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to “wet the grass more,” Falana stressed that the federal government must lead by example by adequately funding programmes mandated by law, especially those under the Social Investment Programme Agency Act of 2023.

President Tinubu, while addressing APC governors about two weeks ago, acknowledged the dire economic condition at the grassroots level, stating:

“Nigerians are still complaining at the grassroots. To you, the governors, you must wet the grass more and deliver progressive change to Nigerians. May God bless our democracy and grant us more fertile lands.”

But Falana argued that such remarks must be matched by decisive action from the Federal Government, which has a statutory obligation to fund poverty-reduction initiatives including:

N-Power Programme — targeted at youth skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.

Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) — aimed at providing soft loans through TraderMoni, MarketMoni, and FarmerMoni.

National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) — offering one nutritious meal daily to public school pupils.

Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) — delivering grants to vulnerable households.

Although the President approved ₦32.7 billion for the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) earlier in January 2025, Falana described the allocation as grossly inadequate when compared to the scale of poverty in Nigeria. He criticized the government’s spending priorities, citing a reported ₦39 billion renovation of the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

“Allocating ₦32.7 billion to support 133 million multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians while spending ₦39 billion on a single venue renovation is an unjustifiable contradiction,” Falana said.

He further challenged the federal government to ensure that state governments adopt the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act, noting that ₦11.195 trillion was disbursed to the 36 states and FCT through the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) in the past year.

In a damning revelation, Falana referenced BudgIT, a civic tech group, which exposed that the 2025 federal budget was padded with 11,122 dubious projects valued at ₦6.93 trillion, representing 12.5% of the national budget. He also highlighted the generous monthly allowances of National Assembly members — ₦21 million for senators and ₦15 million for House members — as evidence of misplaced priorities.

At its most recent meeting, the Federal Executive Council approved ₦3.5 trillion for roads, airports, and other infrastructure projects. Falana insisted that a minimum of ₦5 trillion should be urgently earmarked for social investment, to be managed transparently by government representatives, trade unions, and civil society groups.

He made the call in his capacity as Chair of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB).

“Rather than begging governors to do more, the Federal Government must demonstrate genuine political will by financing the social programmes already codified into law,” Falana asserted.

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