APC leader urges stronger oversight of Nigeria’s poverty programmes

All Progressives Congress chieftain Olatunbosun Oyintiloye has urged President Bola Tinubu to strengthen and evaluate his administration’s social intervention programmes so that they produce measurable benefits for Nigerians living in poverty. Oyintiloye made the call in a statement issued to journalists in Osogbo, Osun State, on Sunday. He welcomed the allocation of N462.66 billion to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

He nevertheless said Nigeria’s projected poverty level for 2026, estimated in the statement at between 62% and 63%, remained high compared with Ghana’s reported multidimensional poverty rate of 21.9% in the third quarter of 2025. The APC leader said resources assigned to poverty reduction must have a positive effect on less-privileged Nigerians. He called for a review of interventions covering youth employment, skills development, cash transfers, school feeding, agriculture and other forms of social protection.

Oyintiloye said the programmes should have clear targets, transparent methods for selecting beneficiaries, effective monitoring and measurable performance indicators. These measures, he said, would help reduce leakages, duplication and abuse. He also called for improved workers’ allowances and welfare packages, arguing that stronger household incomes could increase purchasing power, support local businesses and help families meet essential needs.

Oyintiloye said millions of Nigerians were living below the poverty line and that existing interventions should be repackaged to meet their intended targets. He urged Nigerians to continue supporting the President, saying the fuel subsidy removal and monetary policy were putting the country on the right path, while acknowledging the hardship and poverty affecting the population.