The All Progressives Congress has pushed back against criticism that President Bola Tinubu is solely responsible for Nigeria’s poverty crisis. According to the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, many of the components driving multidimensional poverty fall under the purview of state and local governments, not the federal government.
Speaking on a television program, Morka argued that the national conversation tends to unfairly target the president because of a centralized mindset inherited from military rule. He emphasized that factors such as access to clean water, basic healthcare, sanitation, and other livelihood essentials are primarily managed by subnational administrations.
Morka pointed out that since the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023, a significant portion of the resulting savings has been distributed to states and local councils. This, he noted, has provided them with greater financial resources to address these issues. He called for a more balanced assessment of responsibilities, urging Nigerians to hold state and local leaders accountable rather than centering all blame on the federal government.