CSOs cry out over worsening poverty despite over N100trn budgets in 2 years

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has lamented that despite federal budgets exceeding N100 trillion in the last two years, Nigerians are worse off, with worsening poverty, failing public services and deepening inequality.

Similarly, former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, questioned the federal government’s latest approval of N3.3 trillion to settle debts in Nigeria’s power sector, warning that repeated financial interventions without visible improvement in electricity supply raise serious concerns about accountability and efficiency, reports The Guardian.

Relatedly, civil society groups and Labour raised concern over the persistent constitutional and statutory breaches in the management of Nigeria’s revenues by the President Bola Tinubu administration.

In a joint statement yesterday, the groups said the unprecedented scale of government spending, now surpassing the total budgets between 1999 and 2017, had not translated into tangible improvement in citizens’ lives.

The organisations are Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Yiaga Africa, BudgIT Foundation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Amnesty International Nigeria (AIN), and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), among others.

According to them, while recent economic reforms, including subsidy removal and the floating of the naira, significantly boosted government revenues, ordinary Nigerians continue to grapple with the rising cost of living and declining welfare.

They described the situation as a dangerous disconnect between public spending and real-life outcomes, warning that “the country is on the brink of collapse” without urgent corrective measures.

The coalition identified insecurity, corruption, economic hardship and shrinking civic space as major drivers of the crisis, noting that increased public revenues had not improved governance or service delivery.

The judiciary, they added, is facing declining public trust due to perceived political interference and delayed justice.

The groups called on government at all levels to urgently convert rising revenues into measurable improvements in social protection, job creation, healthcare and food security.

They also demanded greater transparency in public spending, swift prosecution of corruption cases, and reforms to strengthen electoral integrity and institutional independence.

Peter Obi, in a statement via his X handle, said the development reflected a troubling pattern in the management of the power sector, where huge sums were committed with little or no measurable impact on the lives of Nigerians.

According to him, the latest approval is not an isolated case but part of a series of similar financial commitments made in recent years, all targeted at resolving the same lingering liabilities.

He recalled that in May 2024, N3.3 trillion was approved to address power sector debts, followed by another N4 trillion bond in July of the same year for similar obligations.

Despite these interventions, he noted that electricity supply across the country remained largely unstable, raising questions about the effectiveness of such spending.

The former Anambra State governor stressed that “the issue goes beyond funding”, pointing instead to deeper structural and governance challenges within the power sector.

He argued that if repeated bailouts fail to translate into improved service delivery, then the problem lies in how the system is managed rather than in the availability of funds.

Obi further expressed concern over the lack of transparency surrounding the debts, asking critical questions about how they were accumulated, who the major beneficiaries are, and why previous approvals have not produced tangible results.

He maintained that Nigerians deserve clear answers, especially given the scale of public resources being deployed.

He also highlighted the role of government institutions in the debt crisis, noting that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were among the significant debtors in the power value chain.

Obi warned that unless urgent reforms are implemented, Nigeria risks remaining trapped in a cycle where billions are spent on the power sector while darkness persists, leaving citizens to question the value of repeated interventions.

ACTIONAID Nigeria, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), CISLAC, Impact Bridge Africa, Plan International and other CSOs further expressed concern about the opacity, disregard for timeliness, as well as poor citizens’ participation in the federal budgeting process and debt management.

The CSOs, during a joint press briefing yesterday in Abuja, decried the late presentation of the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) despite Section 14 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) stipulating that the MTEF should be presented to the National Assembly early July 2025, to ensure it is approved before the lawmakers proceed on their mid-year recess.