Abuja: A civil society organisation, Initiative for Leadership Development and Change (ILDC), has urged state and local governments to alleviate poverty through enhanced economic governance. President of the CSO, Chief Ugochukwu Nnam, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Nnam lauded President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to alleviating poverty in the country. He noted that the Federal Government decided to increase monthly allocations to state and local governments to improve the welfare of the people at the grassroots. Reports indicate that monthly allocations to state and local governments have witnessed a significant increase since the advent of the Tinubu-led administration in 2023.
The ILDC president emphasized the importance of prudent and vibrant state and local governments in improving local services and tackling poverty. He remarked that state and local governments are constitutionally positioned as frontline implementers of poverty reduction programmes. While states manage education, healthcare, and state-level economic growth, local governments target rural infrastructure, agriculture, and local social welfare.
Nnam critiqued the management of resources by states and local governments, indicating that they had not fulfilled their primary roles effectively. He stressed the necessity for states and local governments to account for their stewardship in managing funds and staffing primary and secondary schools. Nnam asserted that it was unrealistic to expect President Tinubu to directly intervene in rural areas to build primary and secondary schools.
He reiterated the need for enhanced economic transformations at the grassroots, urging Nigerians to hold governments accountable. With the current monthly allocations being received by state and local governments, Nnam highlighted their capacity to provide access to free or subsidised education, a vital tool for long-term poverty alleviation.
The CSO’s president also called for improved healthcare infrastructure in state-owned hospitals and support for primary healthcare centers. This, he explained, would ensure that vulnerable citizens have access to affordable medical services at the state and local government levels.