Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information, echoed former Finance Minister Clement Agba’s stance in a social media post. Sharing a video of Agba’s lecture, Onanuga emphasized that constitutional authority for delivering essential services lies squarely with subnational governments. "The federal government isn’t the primary culprit here," he argued. "States and local councils have the tools to address poverty but often fail to prioritize rural communities."
Agba’s analysis revealed a critical distinction: while 69.9 million Nigerians struggle on less than $2 a day, multidimensional poverty affects nearly twice as many due to systemic gaps in infrastructure and social services. He criticized state leaders for funneling resources into urban centers while neglecting villages where clinics lack medicines and schools crumble. "Poverty persists because grassroots needs are ignored," Agba asserted, dismissing claims that past presidents alone caused the crisis.
The discussion also touched on contentious federal policies like fuel subsidy removal. Agba acknowledged short-term hardships but defended such reforms as vital for long-term stability. His remarks spotlight a broader tension in Nigeria’s federal system—where accountability often blurs between tiers of government, leaving millions trapped in cycles of deprivation.
