Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has declared that providing cash transfers and social protection to vulnerable citizens is a mandatory legal obligation for the Federal Government, not an act of charity.

Falana warned that the government risks a major lawsuit if it fails to adequately fund poverty reduction initiatives in the 2026 fiscal year.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Falana clarified that the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) Establishment Act of 2023 legally binds the state to combat poverty.

"Giving grants to poor and vulnerable people in society is no longer borne out of political interests," Falana stated. "It has become the government’s legal obligation to citizens, not acts of charity or generosity."

The senior lawyer noted that public discourse should move away from individual survival strategies and focus on institutional accountability. His comments follow recent remarks by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who suggested small-scale trades like selling bean cakes (akara) or roasting corn as viable paths to livelihood. While acknowledging grassroot efforts, Falana insisted that petty trading alone cannot fix systemic economic hardship without robust state-backed welfare.

The NSIPA Act establishes a four-pillar framework designed to alleviate poverty and boost human capital, featuring N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), GEEP, and the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP). These initiatives focus on youth skill acquisition, direct financial aid, micro-credits, and school feeding programs, respectively.

Falana recalled that widespread fraud allegations under the previous administration prompted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to seek an amendment transferring NSIPA management from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs directly to the Presidency. The bill aims to institutionalise clean data sharing via the National Social Register but is still pending passage at the National Assembly.

With National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) figures putting 133 million Nigerians in multidimensional poverty—and PwC Nigeria projecting an escalation to 141 million—Falana stressed that systemic funding is critical.

As Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), Falana vowed to drag the administration to court if welfare allocations are neglected.

"The refusal of the Federal Government to fund poverty reduction programmes in 2026 in line with the provisions of the Act will be challenged by ASCAB at the Federal High Court," he warned.