‘Fixing poverty in Nigeria responsibility of local governments’ – Presidency

The Presidency has said that fixing poverty in Nigeria is certainly the responsibility of the local governments because they are the closest to the people.

Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Economic Affairs (Office of the Vice President), Tofe Fasua, said this in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He said that was the reason president Bola Tinubu is advocating for local government autonomy.

“Fixing poverty is certainly a local government’s thing because local governments are the closest to the people.

“So the solution to poverty in Nigeria is actually at the local government level, and that’s the reason the President has advocated for local government autonomy, and has also ensured that the states are a lot more powerful now in terms of funding.

“I mentioned to you the fact that those days where civil servants will be owed 18 months, 12 months, six months, are gone. Pensioners are getting their money a lot, and I think that’s where it matters.

“In 1999, I used to go to many local governments in Lagos and I saw how local governments were working then.

“A lot of people were coming to the local government. The people who were really down  financially, would go to the local government chairman on a daily basis and they were being settled,” he said.