News Archives - Centre for Social Justice

CRITICAL ISSUES IN NIGERIA’S PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT

Center for Social Justice — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:22:33 +0000

CRITICAL ISSUES IN NIGERIA’S PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT (36 downloads )

CRITICAL ISSUES IN NIGERIA’S PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT being a policy brief by Centre for Social Justice, Action Aid Nigeria, Nigeria Labour Congress, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, BudgIT, Impact Bridge Africa Advisory

Nigeria stands at a critical fiscal crossroad. The choice is between a rules-based fiscal system anchored on the rule of law, transparency, and accountability, or a continued descent into discretionary and opaque fiscal governance. We urge all arms of government to act decisively to restore integrity, discipline, and public trust in Nigeria’s public finance management system.

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The new tax law and workers

Center for Social Justice — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 16:09:20 +0000

By Samuel Jekeli

Nigeria’s recently enacted Tax Act, 2025, marks one of the most comprehensive reforms in the nation’s fiscal history. For years, both employers and employees have struggled to navigate a maze of overlapping tax laws, ambiguous deductions, and inconsistent enforcement. The new law seeks to change that by simplifying taxation, widening the tax net, and promoting fairness in contribution across income groups. But beyond its legal and fiscal implications, the new tax regime will directly influence employee earnings, workplace decisions, and even organizational work patterns.

The 2025 Tax Act consolidates several outdated laws, including the Personal Income Tax Act, Companies Income Tax Act, Value Added Tax Act, and others, into a unified framework. This consolidation reduces duplication and confusion, making it easier for both organizations and individual taxpayers to understand their obligations. One of the law’s most commendable provisions is its progressive tax structure. Individuals earning N800,000 or less annually are now completely exempt from paying personal income tax. This adjustment not only supports low-income earners but also aligns with the government’s goal of reducing economic inequality. For employees, this means that entry-level workers, artisans, and junior staff in organizations can expect a slight increase in take-home pay.

For middle- and high-income earners, tax bands have been revised to ensure fair contribution. While this might lead to slightly higher deductions for some, the overall structure encourages transparency and a sense of shared responsibility in national development. For most Nigerian workers, the biggest concern will revolve around changes to take-home pay. Depending on one’s income level, the new law may lead to small upward or downward adjustments in net salary. Those earning at the exemption threshold will experience relief, while higher earners may see slightly increased deductions.

Another key change is the inclusion of digital and nontraditional income streams under taxable income. Freelancers, remote workers, and individuals earning from online gigs, royalties, and digital assets will now be expected to declare such income. This is a major step toward modernizing Nigeria’s tax system to reflect the realities of today’s digital economy. Employees with side hustles or secondary income sources will need to pay closer attention to record keeping and transparency in reporting earnings. For organizations, these changes mean that payroll systems must be updated to align with the new law. Employers will need to reassess how allowances, bonuses, and benefits are taxed. Some organizations may even consider restructuring compensation models to ensure they remain competitive and compliant.

The new tax law will also influence work patterns, particularly in how organizations approach flexibility and employee engagement. With the cost of living rising and tax adjustments affecting net income, employees may seek hybrid or remote work arrangements to manage transportation and personal expenses. HR departments will need to balance operational efficiency with empathy, ensuring that staff productivity and welfare remain aligned. In addition, the formal recognition of digital income sources may encourage more professionals to take up freelance or part-time remote work, even alongside traditional employment. This could lead to a gradual evolution of Nigeria’s labor market into a multi-income economy, where individuals diversify earnings across formal and informal platforms. Employers, on their part, must anticipate this shift by developing clear policies on external engagements, ensuring there is no conflict of interest while respecting employees’ right to pursue lawful income streams.

From a Human Resources perspective, the new law requires heightened collaboration between HR and Finance teams. Payroll management, statutory deductions, and employee communication must all be handled with precision and clarity. Misinterpretations or delays in implementing the new tax provisions could lead to compliance risks or employee dissatisfaction. To manage this transition effectively, HR professionals must conduct awareness sessions to help staff understand the new tax structure, review and update all employment contracts and benefit policies, work closely with tax consultants or the new Nigeria Revenue Service for proper compliance, and advocate for fair compensation adjustments where necessary to cushion employees against increased tax burdens. In addition, organizations that employ remote or cross-border staff must pay special attention to tax residency rules, as these have been redefined under the new law. An employee working from outside Nigeria for extended periods might now fall under different tax obligations than before.

Ultimately, the new tax law represents a deliberate effort to modernize Nigeria’s fiscal system, reduce loopholes, and ensure that everyone contributes fairly. It signals a shift from fragmented, outdated tax practices to a digitally enabled and more transparent structure. For employees, it’s a reminder to be more financially aware and intentional about compliance. For employers and HR leaders, it’s a call to embrace adaptability, strengthen internal systems, and keep people informed. Change often comes with discomfort, but this reform, if effectively implemented—could mark a turning point toward a more just, accountable, and growth-oriented tax system in Nigeria. As the workplace continues to evolve, so must our understanding of how national policies influence the world of work.

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EOI FOLLOW UP ON CORRUPTION RISK ASSESSMENTS

Center for Social Justice — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 12:44:59 +0000

Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) with the support of the European Union Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Project RoLAC 2 is implementing a program on “Improving the Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Processes and Reforms in Nigeria”. The goal of the project is to contribute to increased effectiveness of anti-corruption laws, policies, interventions and strategies for the entrenchment of reforms at national and subnational levels. This would lead to increased compliance with anti-corruption laws. Anti-corruption laws and policies are not an end in themselves but they are expected to lead to systemic change, enhanced compliance and behavioural change in society, making it possible for increased prevention of corruption, corrective action in individual cases, detection and prosecution of offenders and to make more difficult, future breaches of the law.

Read the full details here:

EOI FOLLOW UP ON CORRUPTION RISK ASSESSMENTS (531 downloads )

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CSJ Caution FG Over Importation Of Belarus Tractors Despite Local Innovation

Center for Social Justice — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:16:09 +0000

Elanza News 9 July, 2025

CSJ caution FG over importation of Belarus tractors despite local innovation

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has decried the Federal Government recent importation of 2,000 tractors from Belarus and neglecting homegrown agricultural innovations that could have boost technology improvement and food security in the country.

The Lead Director, CSJ, Barrister Eze Onyekpere said that the move was a disservice to Nigeria’s agricultural advancement.

He was speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at the National Workshop on Improving Visibility and Linkages between Agricultural Research Extension Services and Farming for Sustainable Food Value Chain in Nigeria.

The two-day event was organised by the CSJ, with the support of Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) Nigeria, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON).

The workshop was also intended to review findings from the study on Agriculture Research Institutes and Needs Assessment of Small Scale Women Farmers; achievements, challenges, opportunities, connecting farmers and forward steps for Agriculture Research Institutes; Agriculture Research, Training and Extension Services and Agriculture Insurance.

It was also to review strengthening the roles of subnational governments, farmers associations, financial institutions and technologies to improve farm extension service, and use of research for food security optimization in Nigeria.

Onyekpere questioned the rationale behind abandoning indigenous research outputs in favor of foreign imports, calling the move a disservice to Nigeria’s agricultural advancement.

“Government can afford to do better. But the important thing is, what is the value of producing results and letting it lie on the shelf? For instance, the National Center for Agricultural Mechanization has produced mini-tractors, weeders, harvesters, and threshers.

“Recently, the President just launched 2,000 tractors. And I wanted to hear where they got it from. Of all places in the world, they were imported from Belarus.

“I was expecting if it’s not Nigeria maybe he should have said he got it from the United States, Britain, China, Japan, Germany, and suddenly it’s from Belarus. So what are we doing with the result of their research?” he said.

He also lamented the poor impact of publicly funded research institutes which affects agricultural productivity noting that research outcomes should not sit on shelves or remain in academic journals, but be translated into real-world solutions that meet the needs of farmers particularly the smallholder women who are the backbone of Nigeria’s food system.

Onyekpere said, “We found out that we have so many research institutes that are publicly funded, from those in different crops to fisheries to animal husbandry. But we’ve not had improved productivity, improved yield per hectare, and been able to tackle the prevalent pests and diseases across the nation and across so many crop value chains.

“What exactly are they doing, what are the innovations, what are the findings? And of course as we progress in this workshop you discover that there is a gap, there is a challenge, because the research institutes are doing tremendous good work. But that work is not getting into where it should go into to improve agriculture and to make sure they adopt good farming practices across the nation.”

The CSJ boss said that the workshop aims to bridge the gap between what the research institutes and small holder farmers are doing vis-a-vis government interventions to proffer solutions to lack of agricultural productivity in Nigeria.

Also speaking at the event, the Country Director Heinrich Boell Foundation, Sophie von Knebel, charged Nigeria government to leverage on the challenges facing its agricultural system by leveraging on the opportunities and taking immediate, practical actions that can transform how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied.

Knebel equally advocated for solutions that are not only impactful but also implementable in the short term, and sustainable in the long run in the country.

The post CSJ Caution FG Over Importation Of Belarus Tractors Despite Local Innovation appeared first on Centre for Social Justice .

CSJ Slams Govt For Neglecting Indigenous Agric Outputs

Center for Social Justice — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:14:10 +0000

Punch.ng 9 July, 2025

CSJ Slams Govt For Neglecting Indigenous Agric Outputs

The Centre for Social Justice has slammed the Federal Government for neglecting homegrown agricultural innovations, following the recent importation of 2,000 tractors from Belarus.

Lead Director, CSJ, Eze Onyekpere while speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the National Workshop on Improving Visibility and Linkages between Agricultural Research Extension Services and Farming for Sustainable Food Value Chain in Nigeria, questioned the rationale behind abandoning indigenous research outputs in favour of imports, calling the move a disservice to Nigeria’s agricultural advancement.

In his speech, made available to our correspondent, Onyekpere said, “Government can afford to do better. But the important thing is, what is the value of producing results and letting them lie on the shelf? For instance, the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation has produced mini-tractors, weeders, harvesters, and threshers.

“Recently, the President just launched 2,000 tractors. And I wanted to hear where they got it from. From all places in the world, they were imported from Belarus. I was expecting that if it’s not Nigeria, maybe he should have said he got it from the United States, Britain, China, Japan, Germany, but suddenly it’s from Belarus.

So what are we doing with the result of our indigenous research?” he queried.

Onyekpere also decried the poor impact of publicly funded research institutes, which affect agricultural productivity, emphasising that research outcomes should not sit on shelves or remain in academic journals.

“They should be translated into real-world solutions that meet the needs of farmers, particularly the smallholder women who are the backbone of Nigeria’s food system,” he said.

The CSJ director added that “we found out that we have so many research institutes that are publicly funded, from those in different crops to fisheries to animal husbandry. But we’ve not had improved productivity, improved yield per hectare, and have not been able to tackle the prevalent pests and diseases across so many crop value chains.

“What exactly are they doing, what are the innovations, what are the findings? And of course, as we progress in this workshop, you discover that there is a gap, there is a challenge, because the research institutes are doing tremendous good work. But that work is not getting into where it should go, to improve agriculture and to make sure they adopt good farming practices.”

Onyekpere said the workshop aims to bridge the gap between what the research institutes and smallholder farmers are doing vis-à-vis government interventions, and to proffer solutions to the lack of agricultural productivity in Nigeria.

On her part, the Country Director Heinrich Böll Foundation, Sophie von Knebel, urged Nigeria to leverage the challenges facing its agricultural system by grabbing the opportunities and taking immediate, practical actions that could transform how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied.

Knebel also advocated for solutions that are not only impactful but also implementable in the short term and sustainable in the long run.

The post CSJ Slams Govt For Neglecting Indigenous Agric Outputs appeared first on Centre for Social Justice .

How research can aid food security, by stakeholders

Center for Social Justice — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:11:32 +0000

The Guardian 9 July, 2025

How research can aid food security, by stakeholders

Stakeholders, including researchers, civil society organisations (CSOs) and farmers, have expressed worry over the poor deployment of agriculture research outcomes to farmers for sustainable food production.

Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Dr Eze Onyekpere, observed that recent budgetary allocations for the agriculture sector have shown that agriculture research institutions had substantial allocations, and therefore, research outcomes must be made available to benefit local farmers.

He made the submission at a two-day National Workshop on Improving Viability and Linkages Between Agriculture Research, Extension Services and Farming for Food Value Chain, yesterday, in Abuja, organised by CSJ, in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

He said: “As someone who works on the public budget, which is the taxpayers’ money, I’ve done a lot of work around the votes of the Ministry of Agriculture and I saw that the research institutes are taking up a good part of the funding that goes to the ministry. So, the Nigerian taxpayer pays some researchers and those payments must be for a purpose.

“It is not for mere advertising. We are not paying researchers to research for the sake of research.”

We are paying researchers so that they can improve the value chain of our food and make it more productive and more value-added.”

Onyekpere pointed out that Nigerians were experiencing hunger which could be resolved through effective cascading of research output to farmers who can apply the same for best result.

According to him, agriculture research aims to improve productivity, and yield per hectare, tackle prevalent pests and crop diseases across the federation, as well as boost the value chain.

He submitted: “We need to find out where the challenges are. The derivative value chain of cassava is about $189 billion worldwide. Nigeria is doing between 16% and 20% of the total raw cassava production. Furthermore, our yield per hectare is about 30% of those who are doing better but are producing less. We are capturing less than one per cent of that $189 billion.”

Noting that at least 70 per cent of farmers especially smallholder ones are women, Country Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Sophie von Knebel, stressed the importance of ensuring that research outcomes do not sit on shelves or remain in academic journals, but are translated into real-world solutions that meet the needs of farmers, particularly the smallholder women who are the backbone of Nigeria’s food systems.

She said: “The challenges confronting Nigerian agriculture are well documented and they include limited access to finance, weak extension structures, poor adoption of research outputs, and a persistent disconnect between innovation and implementation.”

In her remarks, President of the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), Fatima Bala-Gummi, explained that research outcomes were critical in boosting crop yields and reducing labour, especially among her teeming members.

Represented by the National Public Relations Officer, Marka Abbas, the president noted: “Effective linkages between the agricultural research institutions and farmers will bring changes in our farming system for a better food production and food value chain.

“SWOFON is facing a lot of challenges being small farmers. So, I am hoping that we will see changes and find solutions to some of these challenges.”

Also, a representative of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and Assistant Director Research, Dr. NnemekaIhegwaogu, promised that the council was working with agriculture research institutions under its purview to strengthen extension services and delivery of research outcomes for increased food production and sustainability.

Her words: “The ARCN has been working over the years as a leader in agricultural research in Nigeria, and is tapping into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present government to enhance the dissemination of research technology as generated by the institutions under it.

“We ensure that every research institute has an extension department and agricultural research outreach centres where schools and villages are adopted as part of efforts to disseminate our research.”

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CSJ Criticizes FG Over Belarus tractor Imports, Urges Support For Local Innovation

Center for Social Justice — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:04:10 +0000

Blueprint.ng 8 July, 2025

CSJ Criticizes FG Over Belarus tractor Imports, Urges Support For Local Innovation

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has strongly criticized the Federal Government for sidelining local agricultural innovations in favour of foreign alternatives, following the recent importation of 2,000 tractors from Belarus.

Speaking at a national workshop in Abuja on Tuesday, CSJ Lead Director, Eze Onyekpere, described the move as a disservice to Nigeria’s agricultural development. He questioned why locally developed technologies by the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization—such as mini-tractors, weeders, and harvesters—were overlooked.

“Of all countries, the tractors were imported from Belarus,” Onyekpere said. “What then is the point of investing in local research if their results remain unused?”

He lamented the underperformance of publicly funded research institutes, noting that despite their mandate and budgetary allocations, Nigeria continues to face poor agricultural productivity, low yields, and unchecked crop diseases.

The workshop, which focused on strengthening linkages between agricultural research, extension services, and farming practices, also featured calls to ensure that research outputs are practical and accessible to smallholder farmers—especially women, who are critical to Nigeria’s food systems.

Also speaking, Sophie von Knebel, Country Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, urged the Nigerian government to act decisively. She advocated for practical, short-term solutions that can be scaled sustainably, emphasizing the need for better knowledge sharing and real-world application of agricultural innovations.

Participants called for stronger integration between research institutes, policy implementation, and farmers to improve food security and boost Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.

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Daily Dispatch Newspaper July 10, 2025- CSJ Lampoons FG Over Importation of Belarus Tractors

Center for Social Justice — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 09:59:41 +0000

Daily Dispatch Newspaper July 10, 2025

CSJ Lampoons FG Over Importation of Belarus Tractors

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has lampooned the Federal Government for neglecting homegrown agricultural innovations against foreign manufactured.

The criticism followed the recent importation of 2,000 tractors from Belarus.

Lead Director, CSJ, Eze Onyekpere while speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the National Workshop on Improving Visibility and Linkages between Agricultural Research Extension Services and Farming for Sustainable Food Value Chain in Nigeria, queried the rationale behind abandoning indigenous research outputs in favour of foreign imports, adjudging the move a disservice to agriculture development in the country.

He said: “Government can afford to do better. But the important thing is, what is the value of producing results and letting it lie on the shelf? For instance, the National Center for Agricultural Mechanization has produced mini-tractors, weeders, harvesters, and threshers.

“Recently, the President just launched 2,000 tractors. And I wanted to hear where they got it from. Of all places in the world, they were imported from Belarus.

He also decried the poor impact of publicly funded research institutes which affects agricultural productivity emphasizing that research outcomes should not sit on shelves or remain in academic journals, but be translated into real-world solutions that meet the needs of farmers particularly the smallholder women who are the backbone of Nigeria’s food system.”

Onyekpere said: “We found out that we have so many research institutes that are publicly funded, from those in different crops to fisheries to animal husbandry. But we’ve not had improved productivity, improved yield per hectare, and been able to tackle the prevalent pests and diseases across the nation and across so many crop value chains.

He noted that the workshop aims to bridge the gap between what the research institutes and small holder farmers are doing vis-a-vis government interventions to proffer solutions to lack of agricultural productivity in Nigeria.

The Country Director Heinrich Boell Foundation, Sophie von Knebel charged Nigeria government to leverage on the challenges facing its agricultural system by leveraging on the opportunities and taking immediate, practical actions that can transform how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied.

Knebel advocatted for solutions that are not only impactful but also implementable in the short term, and sustainable in the long run in the country.”

The post Daily Dispatch Newspaper July 10, 2025- CSJ Lampoons FG Over Importation of Belarus Tractors appeared first on Centre for Social Justice .

April 2025 CPI and inflation rate: A review

Center for Social Justice — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 09:06:58 +0000

April 2025 CPI and inflation rate: A review

By Eze Onyekpere

National inflation profile

The recently published Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of April 2025 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reveals a slight drop in the headline inflation ratefrom 24.23% in March to 23.71% in April 2025.The 12 months preceding the latest report had seen the inflation figures rise consistently until the rebasing exercise of the NBS. The weight reference period is now 2023, and the price reference period (base year) is 2024. The updated CPI covers 934 product varieties as against 740 in the old, classified into 13 divisions under the COICOP 2018 Framework as against 12 divisions in the 1999 version. The old weights attached to food and non-alcoholic beverages (from 51.8 to 40.0); alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (from 1.1 to 0.4); clothing and footwear (from 7.7 to 5.0); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (from 16.7 to 8.4) were reduced. However, the weights attached to education and health increased from 3.0 to 6.1 and 3.9 to 6.2 respectively.

Comparing the extant headline inflation with the same period last year, the headline inflation for April 2024 was 33.69% implying a 9.98%easing within 12 months. On a month on month basis, the headline inflation was 1.86% as against 3.90% in March 2025. This simply implies a reduction in the rate of increase of average prices.

Food inflation
Food inflation was reported at 21.26% year on a year basis compared to 40.53% in April 2024 and on a month-by-month basis, it went down from 2.18% in March to 2.06% in April. NBS reports that the significant decline in food annual inflation is technically due to the change in the base year for the calculation of inflation. Furthermore, the removal of tariffs – zero duty and value added tax – on the importation of some cereals (husked brown rice, maize, sorghum, millet, wheat and beans) may have contributed to the reduction in food prices.

Food inflation in the country on a year-on-year basis had the highest rise in Benue (51.76%), Ekiti (34.05%) and Kebbi (33.82%). It had the slowest rise in Ebonyi (7.19%), Adamawa (9.52%) and Ogun (9.91%). On the other hand, the month-on-month basis top 3 fastest rises in food prices was recorded in Benue (25.59%), Ekiti (16.73%) and Yobe (13.92%). The slowest rise was recorded in Ebonyi (-14.43%), Kano (-11.37%) and Ogun (-7.06%).

Benue’s highest food inflation rise on both year-on-year and month-on-month basis is surprising considering that it is part of the food basket of Nigeria. However, this could be traced to the state of permanent siege and insecurity that has taken over the state over a period of time.

Core inflation
This is about all items less farm produce and energy. This was reported on a year-on- year basis at 23.39% as against 26.84% recorded in April 2024. On a month-on-month basis, it was 1.34% as against 3.73% in March 2025. Generally, core inflation seems to be easing.

Sub-nationals’ contribution to inflation profile
Further disaggregation shows the contribution of state fluctuations to the overall national price index for the month of April 2025.On a year-on-year basis all item (prices of all items irrespective of classification) inflation rate was highest in Enugu (35.98%), Kebbi (35.13%) and Niger (34.85%); whereas they were lowest in Ondo (13.42%), Cross River (17.11%) and Kwara (17.28%). However, on a month-on-month basis, the highest increases in inflation were recorded in Sokoto (16.26%), Nasarawa (16.02%) and Niger (14.74%); while the slowest rise was recorded in Oyo (-6.45%); Osun (-4.54%) and Ondo (-3.44%). It is imperative to note that the year on year and month on month increases were dramatic.

Urban and rural inflation
Urban inflation contributes more to the high inflation figures. Urban inflation currently stands at 24.29% year-on-year, and decreased from 3.96% in March to 1.18% in April.Rural inflation stood at22.83% year-on-year and decreased from 3.73% in March to 3.56% in April. This may not be unconnected to the forces of demand and supply. Urban areas command more resources, hence higher demand. Naturally, prices will rise when available resources are chasing few/available goods/services.

Relating this with the major drivers of inflation (food and non-alcoholic beverages, restaurants and accommodation services, housing, water, electricity, gas, other fuel, clothing and footwear, transportation etc.); it is clear that their demand is higher in urban areas than in the rural areas. For instance, in the rural areas, people grow significant portions of the food they consume, they live in their own houses, their expenses on utilities like water and electricity is low because they have alternative sources for them, and in critical situations, they can do without some of them. More so, effective demand is need backed by resources (ability to pay) and in most cases, these resources are not available to rural dwellers. Several studies have shown that bulk of rural dwellers are poor.

Inflation rate, budget and macroeconomic fundamentals
The 2025 federal budget is premised on a 15% inflation rate which is far lower than the April headline inflation rate of 23.71%. This implies that the budget’s projection is yet to be met. The rate of transport inflation is to an extent dependent on the international price of crude oil. The depreciating price of crude oil will negatively affect federation account’s revenue from crude oil sales. The oil benchmark price of $75 per barrel is unattainable at present prices. For the full implementation of the 2025 federal budget, the deficit financing may need to be increased through more debt which will definitely have a negative effect on the inflation rate. Deficit financing through seigniorage will even worsen the inflation effect. Furthermore, with a monetary policy rate of 27.5%, the cost of credit to investors and the private sector will continue to push prices towards and above the MPR.

The right to adequate standard of living and driver(s) of inflation in Nigeria
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended (Constitution) in the“Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy” provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. In S.16 (2) (d), the Constitution provides: “that suitable and adequate shelter, right to food and food security, reasonable national minimum living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens”. The Constitution also made provisions for objectives in promotion of education and health.

Furthermore, Nigeria has obligations under article 11 (1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) vis: “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions..”.This obligation is a reaffirmed in the standard setting Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control”.

Clearly, these national and international standards emphasize the rights to adequate food, clothing and housing andcontinuous improvement of living conditions as critical elements of the right to an adequate standard of living. The empowering rights of education and health also feature in the determination of the standard of living.

The greatest contributor (driver) of price increases within the period is food and non-alcoholic beverages at 9.49% year-on-year and 0.75% month-on-month. Other top contributors include restaurants and accommodation services at 3.06% year on year and 0.24% month on month; transport at 2.53% year-on-year and 0.20% month-on- month; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel at 2.0% year-on-year and 0.16% month-on-month. Education and health moved 1.47% and 1.44% year-on-year and 0.12% and 0.11% respectively month-on-month; clothing and footwear stands at 1.20% year-on-year and 0.09% month-on-month.

Essentially, food, housing, transport and clothing – part of the critical components of the right to an adequate standard of living in the modern world are major drivers of inflation. Education as an empowering right and the fulcrum for the validation of other rights took a major hit while health which is inextricably tied to the right to life is negatively affected. The right to life will be extinguished by the denial of health supporting conditions to the point of abrogation.It has been reported that average Nigerians spend up to 60% of their income on food, leaving them with 40% of their income for all other expenditure. When all these critical elements of an adequate standard of living are buffeted by inflation, the implication is an upsurge in poverty and misery.

The Gender Dimension
Nigerian women and girls are the face of Nigerian poverty. Their numbers were higher among the poor before the galloping inflation. In a period of rising prices, coupled with unemployment and stagnated economic growth, the likelihood of women and girls earning income or salaries that keeps pace with the inflationary spiral is remote. High food inflation exerts undue pressure on the physical and mental of women and girls who are the managers of family food. Therefore, the Nigerian inflation crisis affects women and girls disproportionately. The inflation driving policies (fuel subsidy removal and floatation of the naira) appear to be gender neutral, but in actual fact, they are based on structural discrimination which denies the existence of apparent discriminations.

Other Issues
The removal of tariffs – zero duty and value added tax – on the importation of some cereals (husked brown rice, maize, sorghum, millet, wheat and beans) may have contributed to the reduction in food prices. This response which is both adhoc and temporal does not come without a cost – significant loss of revenue to the government as well as a disincentive to local farmers who may not be able to favourably compete with the foreign products. This low level of food production in the country has been attributed to several factors including insecurity occasioned by activities of bandits and herdsmen in especially farming communities. Others include very low state investment on agriculture and lack of prioritization of agriculture over several years. High transportation cost (including transportation of food) as a result of the removal of petroleum subsidy without adequate plan to cushion the impact further exacerbates high cost of goods (including food) to a near crisis level. Also, the floating of the exchange rate resulting in the erosion of the value of the local currency in an import-dependent economy meant an increased cost of importation. The plan to increase electricity tariff across board beyond the “band” interventions will definitely increase energy cost and spike inflation.

Conclusion and Recommendations
As at 2022, the NBS recorded that 133 million representing about 66% Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, that is, they are poor in two or more key indicators. With a high level of inflation, the numbers have increased. The following actions are recommended for government, especially as it relates to the standard of living:Incentivize food production/agricultureas a means of encouraging farming and farmers; prioritize agriculture in state planning and increase agricultural investment; in the medium term, start building food buffer stocks against inflation and famine; make conscious effort to tackle issues of insecurityincluding banditry and activities of herdsmen. Other recommendations are: the Monetary Policy Committee should consider reduction of the MPR to not more than 25%; review the 2025 federal and state budgets taking into consideration the reduced revenue inflows without unduly increasing the deficit and borrowing; full implementation of the local content policy in government procurement.

Furthermore, invest in alternative and cheaper sources of fuel for transportation such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG); stop the propaganda of CNGI and start the work in providing conversion kits, new buses and incentivizing the proliferation of dispensing pumps and stations. Finally, undertake a gender analysis of the reforms leading to the galloping inflation.

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Where is the 2025 Appropriation Act, Fiscal Risk Appendix and Measures on Cost Control?

Center for Social Justice — Fri, 30 May 2025 16:34:23 +0000

The Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) is charged inter alia with the responsibility of ensuring transparency and accountability in budgeting and federal government’s fiscal operations. In accordance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), the BOF is even at the centre of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the annual budget, assessment of the attainment of fiscal targets and reporting thereon on a quarterly basis. However, the BOF seems to be abandoning the transparency aspect of its duties.

As at the 7^th day of May 2025, the BOF deliberately failed, refused and neglected to upload the 2025 Appropriation Act to its website. The only document on the 2025 federal budget available on the website is the schedule to the Act which contains the details of the allocations to the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government. But the legal authorization for the expenditure being the Appropriation Act has been kept away from the public. Two schedules of the Appropriation Act have been uploaded to the BOF website – https://budgetoffice.gov.ng. The stamp mark indicating the date of upload of the schedules to the website reads March 19 2025 while the second reads March 25 2025.

By a freedom of information request from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), the organization brought to the notice of the BOF the fact that the Appropriation Act is not on their website. Before the FOI request, a visit to the BOF to get the Act and to remind them that it is not available to the public was met with an affirmation by the BOF that the document is on their site. However, they refused to be a party to opening the site to show exactly where they posted the Act. In response to the FOI, they gave CSJ an electronic copy of the Act and still refused to upload same to their website. This raises the poser on the rationale for the decision to keep the Appropriation Act away from the Nigerian public. Did any law or policy grant a discretionary power to BOF to decide on whether to withhold fiscal information from the public? The author is not aware of any such law or policy.

It is important to understand the nature of an Appropriation Act and the reason why it should be in the public sphere. It is that law resulting from the appropriation process provided in sections 81 and 121 of the 1999 Constitution at the federal and state levels respectively. The bill leading to the Act is usually prepared by the executive and approved by the legislature. Ideally, between the preparation by the executive and approval by the legislature, there should be opportunities for popular participation and citizens input into the process. Legislative hearings, memoranda submission to the executive, etc., should be part of the process. Pray, the public that participated in the process leading up to the conversion of the bill into an Act have every reason to see the outcome of the process in which they participated.

What emerges from the appropriation process is an authorization to spend public funds, to raise revenue and the conditions and formalities precedent and contingent issues for the budget. Thus, there is a broad definition of the respective expenditure categories, details of the fiscal terms guiding the budget and sometimes, it contains the basic assumptions and key macroeconomic indicators. A typical Appropriation Act contains the following vis, authority to spend a specific sum of money within a specific tenure – usually the financial year stipulated by law, release of funds from the consolidated revenue fund, procurement and due process certification, virement, excess revenue, information to be submitted by the executive to the legislature on internally generated revenue, domestic or foreign assistance, etc. Furthermore, it contains the details of the fiscal framework in terms of sources of revenue, whether the budget is surplus or deficit, debts and borrowing, deductions, aids and grants. It therefore contains important information from the approved medium-term expenditure framework which undergirds the budget. The schedule(s) to the Act are the budget details which most Nigerians refer to as the budget.

In the light of the foregoing, this is not a document that should be hidden from the public because it is the basis of public revenue and expenditure and the authorization given by the legislature to the executive for resources to execute development projects, maintain law and order and take charge of issues that affect everyday life in a country.

Also, in accordance with the FRA, annual budget estimates and the Appropriation Bill from the executive to the legislature should be accompanied by measures on cost, cost control and evaluation of results of programmes financed with budgetary resources and a Fiscal Risk Appendix evaluating the fiscal and other related risks to the annual budget and specifying measures to be taken to offset the occurrence of such risks. Measures on cost and cost control should be prescribed in the Appropriation Act while measures to be taken to offset the occurrence of identified fiscal risks should also be part of the approved Appropriation Act. These measures re-echo now that the key assumptions of the 2025 budget and fiscal reality are at cross roads. The benchmark price and the daily production quota are at variance with the oil industry reality. From the Appropriation Act available to the author, no provision was made by either the executive or legislature on any of these demands of the FRA.

BOF is hereby called upon to immediately upload the Appropriation Act to its website. This deliberate attempt to deny Nigerians of their right to know is a gross violation of the provisions of the Constitution and the FRA and should not be allowed to continue for a day longer. If the individuals charged with the responsibility of pushing out this information to the public are unwilling to perform this duty, there is only one option left or them – they should resign.

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