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
