FG, ActionAid, World Bank Push New Plan to End Poverty

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The federal government, ActionAid Nigeria, and development experts have reaffirmed their collective resolve to eliminate poverty through inclusive growth, fiscal accountability, and citizen empowerment by the year 2030.

Speaking at the “High-Level Dialogue on Rethinking Poverty Reduction Strategies in Nigeria”, held in Abuja, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, said the government’s focus was on building an economy that rewarded hard work, ensured fairness, and supported only those genuinely in need.

“The biggest form of social protection is ensuring that hardworking Nigerians receive fair rewards for their efforts, while social transfers go to those genuinely disadvantaged,” Bagudu stated.

He said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to eliminating poverty by 2030 through the Renewed Hope Development Plan, which emphasises productivity, innovation, and inclusion.

“We are determined, by God’s grace, to eliminate poverty by 2030,” the minister affirmed.

Bagudu expressed optimism that ongoing reforms were already yielding positive results, citing increased revenues, renewed investor confidence, and new economic initiatives as signs of early recovery.

“Our economy is showing early signs of recovery, revenues are improving, private investment is returning, and new initiatives are taking root,” he said.

Describing Tinubu’s policy direction as “bold and forward-looking,” the minister urged Nigerians to remain patient and supportive, assuring that the long-term benefits of reforms will soon reflect in people’s lives.

In his remarks, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, called for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s poverty reduction strategies to ensure that economic growth translated into real benefits for citizens.

Mamedu stated that despite Nigeria’s budget increasing from N300 billion in 1999 to N54.5 trillion in 2024, poverty levels had not declined proportionately.

He said, “This tells us that we must do things differently. At ActionAid, we believe poverty can be eradicated, but only when government and citizens take shared responsibility and ensure accountability from the federal to the local level.”

Mamedu, who recently visited Edo and Delta states, decried poor infrastructure despite increased financial allocations to subnational governments.

He stated, “The situation raises critical questions about how resources are being used at sub-national levels.

“For us in ActionAid, the only party we recognize is the party of the people, the fight against poverty.”

He urged government at all levels to emulate countries like China and India, which successfully lifted millions out of poverty through major investments in infrastructure, education, health, and social protection, ensuring that local contractors benefit from such projects.

“It is not enough to increase spending; we must ensure resources are used efficiently,” he said, adding, “Reports show we lose about $18 billion annually to illicit financial flows. If we can stop such leakages, more funds will remain in our economy to drive development.”

While commending the federal government’s pledge to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, Mamedu stressed that the goal could only be achieved through consistency, accountability, and collaboration among all stakeholders.

“We need to move about 10 million Nigerians out of poverty every year. To achieve that, everyone, government, civil society, and private sector must work together,” he said.

He also called for greater discipline and punctuality among citizens and officials, describing them as symbols of accountability and efficiency.

“Governance is not only about the President or ministers. It involves all of us. If we begin to do the small things right, like keeping to time, it will reflect in how we manage bigger responsibilities,” he added.

Mamedu reaffirmed ActionAid’s 10-year strategy to support and hold government accountable in lifting five million Nigerians out of poverty.

“We must ensure that the next poverty review shows progress, not decline,” he said. “Together, we can build a Nigeria where prosperity is shared and poverty becomes history,” he added.

Both Bagudu and Mamedu agreed that sustainable poverty eradication will depend on shared responsibility, transparency, and a renewed focus on rewarding hard work across all sectors of the economy.

At the same dialogue, Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Dr. Chris Uwadoka, emphasised that fiscal discipline and transparency were fundamental to reducing poverty.

“Fiscal responsibility is at the heart of poverty reduction, period. It is not merely a technical framework. It is a people-centred philosophy driven by transparency, accountability, and prudence,” he stated.

He acknowledged that while the government’s reforms had stabilised key indicators, like revenue and debt, the real challenge lay in translating these macroeconomic gains into tangible human welfare.

“The challenge now is how to translate these statistical macroeconomic results into tangible human welfare improvement. I believe this question is at the heart of this multi-stakeholder dialogue today,” Uwadoka said.

He urged state and local governments to take fiscal discipline seriously to prevent financial leakages and ensure that public resources directly benefited citizens.

He said, “State and local governments need to hold themselves accountable to their people and to poverty alleviation. Without this commitment to good public financial management, the drivers of poverty will overwhelm our best intentions.”

A World Bank presentation delivered by Mr. Imole Ibukun from National Economic Council Secretariat highlighted a disturbing rise in poverty levels despite ongoing reforms.

According to the report, about 139 million Nigerians (61 per cent of the population) now live in poverty, up from 81 million (40 per cent) in 2019.

It also projected that poverty could rise by another 3.6 percentage points by 2027, making Nigeria one of the few resource-rich countries likely to see worsening poverty due to structural weaknesses.

The World Bank identified key drivers of poverty, including high food inflation, stagnant wages, oil dependence, poor infrastructure, low agricultural productivity, insecurity, and weak governance.

The report warned that without urgent corrective action, rising poverty could reverse development gains and threaten social stability.

It recommended expanding social safety nets, investing in rural infrastructure and agriculture, improving food security, and strengthening governance to ensure economic growth benefits citizens.