President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, has said the living conditions of Nigeria’s poorest citizens are improving under the current administration, attributing the progress to increased funding for states and local governments.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Fasua defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and efforts to tackle poverty, arguing that meaningful poverty reduction must be driven at the grassroots level.
According to him, the president’s push for local government autonomy and higher allocations to state and local governments has strengthened their ability to meet basic obligations, including the prompt payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.
Fasua said the era when civil servants were owed salaries for several months had largely ended, while pensioners were receiving their benefits more consistently.
“The solution to poverty is actually at the local government level. That’s why the president has advocated for local government autonomy and ensured that states now receive more funding. The days when civil servants were owed salaries for six, 12 or even 18 months are gone. Pensioners are also getting paid more regularly, and that’s where it matters,” he said.
He maintained that the improved financial position of subnational governments was directly benefiting vulnerable Nigerians.
“I can honestly tell you that for the very poor people in this country, the situation is getting better, perhaps better than it used to be. When more money goes to local governments and state governments, that’s where the impact is felt,” Fasua added.
Drawing lessons from China’s poverty eradication programme, Fasua argued that effective poverty reduction requires detailed documentation of every household, a task he said could only be carried out effectively by state and local governments rather than the federal government.
“The federal government knows it cannot document every household on its own. That can only be done through the states and local governments,” he said.
Fasua expressed confidence that the increased funding being channelled to subnational governments would translate into political support for the administration, adding that he had no doubt President Tinubu would secure re-election in the 2027 presidential election.
