The Presidency has said that Nigeria’s local governments bear primary responsibility for tackling poverty, arguing that grassroots governance remains the most effective channel for delivering economic relief to citizens.
The position was made by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs in the Office of the Vice President, Dr. Tope Fasua, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Fasua said local governments are best placed to address poverty because of their proximity to communities, adding that decentralised governance is essential for effective social intervention.
“Fixing poverty is certainly a local government’s thing because local governments are the closest to the people,” he said.
He explained that the administration’s push for local government autonomy is aimed at strengthening this tier of government so it can function more effectively in addressing grassroots needs.
According to him, empowering local councils financially and administratively would significantly improve service delivery and reduce poverty levels across the country.
“So the solution to poverty in Nigeria is actually at the local government level, and that’s the reason the President has advocated for local government autonomy,” Fasua said.
He also noted that recent fiscal reforms and improved state-level funding structures were already yielding positive results, particularly in the timely payment of salaries and pensions.
Fasua recalled earlier experiences in Lagos State, where local governments played a more active role in providing direct support to residents, especially vulnerable groups.
“In 1999, I used to go to many local governments in Lagos and I saw how local governments were working then. People who were financially vulnerable would go to the local government chairman daily and they were being assisted,” he said.
He further argued that strengthened local governance remains central to addressing poverty sustainably, stressing that effective grassroots institutions are critical to national development.
The Presidency’s remarks come amid ongoing debates over fiscal federalism and local government autonomy in Nigeria, with stakeholders divided over the capacity of local councils to independently manage poverty alleviation programmes.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no additional clarification from the Presidency on specific poverty intervention programmes to be implemented at the local government level.