TMSG: Tinubu’s $1bn anti-poverty programme not response to Atiku
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TMSG: Tinubu’s $1bn anti-poverty programme not response to Atiku
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Tinubu Media Support Group, TMSG has dismissed claims that the Federal Government’s newly unveiled $1bn social protection programme was hurriedly introduced in response to opposition campaign promises.
The group said the Renewed Hope Social Protection programme, also known as HOPE-SP, had been in the works for several months before its recent unveiling.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the TMSG said the programme was designed as a long-term intervention to help vulnerable Nigerians achieve sustainable economic independence.
The group was reacting to claims by opposition elements that the initiative was a panic response to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s economic recovery plan, which includes a promise to restore fuel subsidy.
It said the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, and his team had been working on the programme since November 2025 following a directive from President Bola Tinubu.
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The TMSG said, “The recently unveiled $1bn social protection initiative tagged Renewed Hope Social Protection programme is a well thought-out, targeted and coordinated plan by the President Bola Tinubu administration to fund long-term economic support for vulnerable Nigerians.
“The goal is to provide the poorest of the poor with permanent and sustainable economic freedom rather than mere palliative support which had been the hallmark of previous poverty reduction schemes in the country.”
According to the group, the programme was conceived against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis that followed the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple exchange rates.
The TMSG said the fact that the programme was launched about a week after Atiku unveiled his economic recovery plan did not mean it was a response to the opposition politician’s proposal.
“While it is true that the comprehensive poverty reduction programme was launched about one week after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar made public his so-called Atiku Economic Recovery Plan which is tied to restoring fuel subsidy, it takes more than a few days to put together such an elaborate and multi-faceted social protection programme,” it said.
The group also faulted the African Democratic Congress for suggesting that HOPE-SP was hurriedly assembled in reaction to Atiku’s campaign plan.
It said the programme went beyond the distribution of cash, noting that beneficiaries would be tracked and their progress measured under a structured pathway towards economic inclusion and self-reliance.
The TMSG further said the Tinubu administration had, in the past three years, implemented cash transfer initiatives that benefited about 10 million vulnerable households.
It acknowledged concerns reportedly raised by the World Bank over gaps in Nigeria’s social safety nets, saying the new programme was designed to address some of those shortcomings.
The group added that HOPE-SP, alongside the recently unveiled World Bank-backed $3bn plan, represented a broader strategy to tackle multidimensional poverty and create sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable Nigerians.
It urged state governments to key into the programme, saying coordinated participation by subnational governments would help extend its impact across the country’s 8,809 wards.
The TMSG also commended Nigerians for their resilience and patience amid the Federal Government’s economic reforms.
It urged citizens to remain vigilant ahead of the 2027 elections and resist what it described as attempts by opposition politicians to mislead them over the government’s social protection efforts.
