Former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Nduese Essien, has delivered a scathing critique of the widespread empowerment schemes promoted by politicians across Nigeria.
Mr Essien, who is also a former leader of the South-south Parliamentary Caucus in the National Assembly, also described the schemes as a wasteful cover-up for consistent governance failures at all levels.
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Speaking at an event in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, Mr Essien said what is popularly known as empowerment is nothing more than a ruse designed to mask the government’s inability to provide basic amenities and economic opportunities for its citizens.
“The so-called empowerment programmes are largely a ruse and an easy cover-up for years of government failure and yet another avenue to squander the people’s money,” the former minister declared.
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According to him, this long-standing failure has pushed local government chairpersons, lawmakers, and other public officials to assume responsibilities that should be handled by the government, such as providing necessities to the people.
“Governments are supposed to create an enabling environment in which people can live in dignity and cater for themselves.
“Throughout the colonial period, the short-lived independence era, and even military rule up to 1999, empowerment was not part of our political vocabulary. It simply didn’t exist, because government, in many ways, did its job,” he stated.
What responsible governments do
Mr Essien argued that no serious government sustains poverty alleviation by handing out foodstuffs and cash to its citizens. Instead, responsible nations focus on long-term investments that build human capacity and stimulate productivity.
“What responsible governments do is invest in people’s capacity to thrive by creating jobs, building infrastructure, and ensuring access to quality education, healthcare, and credit,” he said.
Citing examples from around the world, the elder statesman pointed to Brazil and Mexico, where conditional cash transfers are linked to measurable outcomes such as child education and health checkups.
He referenced Bangladesh’s successful use of microcredit and skills development to empower women and grow small businesses.
He also noted that Ethiopia has tied safety nets to public works programmes, while Rwanda has invested heavily in vocational education and small enterprise development.
“These are not acts of charity. They are smart, sustainable systems that restore dignity and build capacity. That is what good governance looks like,” he said.
Disappointment with humanitarian affairs ministries
Mr Essien also expressed disappointment with the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs at the federal and state levels, which he accused of becoming notorious pipelines for large-scale embezzlement.
“One would have thought that the creation of these ministries would make a significant impact on the welfare of the people. Unfortunately, they have become conduits through which public funds are stolen with utter recklessness. All the ministers of humanitarian affairs in Nigeria have been accused of misappropriating and embezzling billions of naira meant for people in distress,” he said.
He lamented the inability of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies to prosecute indicted officials and called for a complete review of how the government responds to the needs of vulnerable citizens.
“That is why I am calling on the government to take another look at what has come to be known as empowerment and find better, more sustainable ways of providing safety nets. We must stop the routine sharing of food items and cash to people who will return to the same queue the next day. It is neither dignifying nor effective.”
According to him, what Nigerians truly want are opportunities to work and prosper, including access to land, loans, training, stable electricity, and consistent policies that enable them to farm, trade, and grow their careers and businesses.
“What we need is infrastructure that supports markets, technology that opens new doors, and policies that attract investments,” he said, urging public officials to stop wasting resources on politically motivated handouts.
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Mr Essien also called on elected representatives to return to their constitutional responsibilities of lawmaking, oversight, and constituency representation rather than taking on executive functions that fuel corruption and inefficiency.
“The truth is, many people who were ‘empowered’ since 1999 are still standing in the same queue, waiting for the next round. The impact has been minimal despite billions spent over the years,” he said.
He concluded with a call for governance reform.
“Let us correct these mistakes. Let us restore government to its proper role. Let us learn from models that work and develop homegrown solutions that build dignity, not dependency,” he said.
