Oyintiloye calls for stronger measures to cushion economic hardship in Nigeria

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Hon. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged President Bola Tinubu to strengthen and comprehensively review the Federal Government’s social intervention programmes to cushion the effects of economic hardship on Nigerians.

Oyintiloye, in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday, said existing interventions covering youth employment, skills development, cash transfers, school feeding, agriculture and other forms of social protection should be reviewed for maximum impact.

He said the effectiveness of the programmes should be assessed beyond budgetary allocations, with attention given to poverty levels, employment creation, productivity, household purchasing power and improvements in living conditions.

According to him, “Such interventions must have clear targets, transparent beneficiary selection, strong monitoring and measurable performance indicators to minimise leakages, duplication and abuse. The president must also ensure that public funds produce identifiable benefits”.

The APC chieftain commended Tinubu for allocating N462.66 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, but said poverty remained high compared with neighbouring Ghana.

He also called for improved workers’ allowances and welfare packages, saying these would increase purchasing power, stimulate local businesses, strengthen household incomes and enable families to meet essential needs.

Oyintiloye, who noted that millions of Nigerians were living below the poverty line, said the president’s efforts through various intervention programmes should be further repackaged to meet the expected targets.

He urged Nigerians to keep believing in Tinubu’s capacity to reduce poverty, saying, “The hardship Nigerians are presently facing will soon be a thing of the past. It is true that the economy is not in good shape and there is poverty in the land, but the president is not sleeping on all these”.