The Federal Government has charged local government chairmen across Nigeria to take ownership of inclusive development, social protection delivery, and data-driven governance at the grassroots.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, made the call on Thursday in Abuja during a stakeholder engagement with council chairmen hosted by the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office. The event was themed “Strengthening Local Government Leadership for Inclusive Development and Social Protection Delivery.”
“Local government chairmen, as the chief executives of their councils, must take ownership of development outcomes within their jurisdictions,” Bagudu stated. He said the Constitution imposes both moral and constitutional obligations on public officials to ensure the welfare and inclusion of citizens.
Bagudu stressed a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach involving federal, state, and local governments, development partners, civil society, and communities. “At the heart of governance in Nigeria is the achievement of the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy as set out in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the minister said.
He noted that despite the efforts of farmers, fishermen, herders, traders, and small business owners, economic hardship, insecurity, and market failures continue to undermine livelihoods. “We must recognise that many hardworking Nigerians often do not receive returns commensurate with their effort. This makes social protection and inclusive governance necessary,” he said.
The minister referenced the 2017 National Social Protection Policy, which established the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office, N-Power, and the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. He urged council chairmen to collaborate with these initiatives to reduce poverty and improve living conditions.
Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, also addressed the engagement, highlighting the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention as a flagship programme designed to deepen grassroots empowerment, expand opportunities for women and vulnerable groups, and strengthen community-based social protection across the 774 Local Government Areas. She said local government chairmen have a vital role in identifying vulnerable households, supporting women-led initiatives, mobilising communities, and ensuring government interventions reach intended beneficiaries.
Suleiman-Ibrahim stressed that the credibility of the National Social Register depends largely on accurate community-level data and active collaboration with local government authorities. She further emphasised the importance of integrating the National Identification Number into the social protection framework to bridge exclusion gaps affecting women, persons with disabilities, rural dwellers, and other marginalised groups. She urged council chairmen to intensify sensitisation campaigns and enrollment efforts to ensure eligible citizens benefit from government interventions.
The call aligns with broader federal efforts to entrench evidence-based governance. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, recently unveiled the National Power of Data High Impact Initiative and the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics 2024 to 2028. “The foundation upon which this vision of a modern state would be built is a strong national statistical system that produces statistical evidence in a timely, efficient and sustainable manner,” Akume said.
The Federal Government reiterated that Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as subnational governments, must mainstream the use of data in policy formulation, programme implementation and performance tracking to achieve inclusive development.
