The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, has said the living conditions of Nigeria’s poorest citizens are improving, attributing the development to increased financial allocations to states and local governments by the Federal Government.
Fasua made the assertion during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, where he defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and efforts to tackle poverty across the country.
According to him, the administration’s decision to strengthen the finances of state and local governments is already yielding results, particularly in the prompt payment of salaries and pensions.
He said, “The solution to poverty is actually at the local government level, and that’s the reason why the President has advocated for local government autonomy and has also ensured that the states are a lot more powerful now in terms of the funding that they are getting.”
The presidential aide added that the era of prolonged salary arrears in many states had become a thing of the past.
“I mentioned to you the fact that those days when civil servants would be owed 18 months, 12 months, six months, it’s gone. Pensioners are getting their money a lot more regularly, and I think that’s where it matters,” he said.
Fasua argued that the increased flow of funds to subnational governments has had a direct impact on vulnerable Nigerians, insisting that the poor are in a better position than they were in previous years.
“I can tell you that, honestly, for the very poor people in this country, the situation is getting better and perhaps better than it used to be. If you are raising money to local governments and state governments, that is where it’s at,” he said.
Speaking on strategies to address poverty, Fasua said Nigeria could draw lessons from China’s poverty eradication programme by documenting households across the country to ensure targeted interventions.
He, however, noted that such an exercise could only succeed through collaboration with state and local governments.
“The Federal Government knows that you cannot do that alone. You can only do that through the local governments and the state governments,” he added.
Fasua also expressed confidence that the administration’s economic policies and increased funding to states and local governments would strengthen President Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term in the 2027 general election.
He said the impact of government programmes at the grassroots would ultimately shape public perception of the administration ahead of the next presidential election.
