The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described the Federal Government’s newly unveiled $1 billion Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme (HOPE-SP) as a carefully planned initiative, dismissing claims that it was hurriedly introduced in response to opposition campaign rhetoric ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the group said the programme had been in development for months and was designed to provide sustainable economic support to vulnerable Nigerians rather than serve as another short-term palliative.
TMSG said the initiative was being unfairly portrayed by some opposition figures as a “panic” or “knee-jerk” response to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recently announced economic recovery plan, which includes a proposal to restore fuel subsidy.
According to the group, 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.
“The recently unveiled $1 billion social protection initiative tagged Renewed Hope Social Protection programme (HOPE-SP) 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 statement said.
TMSG explained that the programme was conceived against the backdrop of the cost-of-living pressures that followed the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple exchange rates.
It said the objective was to move beneficiaries beyond temporary relief by providing a “poverty graduation pathway” that would promote economic inclusion, self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods.
The group noted that although HOPE-SP was launched about a week after Atiku unveiled his economic recovery plan, the complexity of the programme made it implausible that it could have been conceived and structured within a few days.
“It takes more than a few days to put together such an elaborate and multi-faceted social protection programme,” TMSG said, rejecting suggestions by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that the initiative was a response to Atiku’s campaign proposal.
The group further pointed to the Federal Government’s cash transfer initiative, which it said had benefited about 10 million vulnerable households over the last three years, as evidence that the administration had consistently pursued social protection measures.
TMSG also referenced concerns reportedly raised by the World Bank over gaps in Nigeria’s social safety-net system, particularly the need to ensure that government-funded interventions effectively reach intended beneficiaries.
It said the latest $1 billion programme, alongside a recently unveiled World Bank-backed $3 billion plan, represented a more comprehensive approach to tackling poverty by combining social protection with measures designed to improve beneficiaries’ economic prospects.
The group stressed that beneficiaries under the new architecture would be tracked to measure the impact of interventions and determine the appropriate support required to move them towards economic independence.
TMSG expressed optimism that the country’s efforts to tackle multidimensional poverty would gain greater momentum if state and local governments key into the initiative.
It called for a coordinated and sustained approach that would extend anti-poverty interventions across the country’s 8,809 wards and ensure that vulnerable Nigerians derive lasting benefits from government programmes.
The group also commended Nigerians for their resilience and patience amid the ongoing economic reforms, urging citizens to remain focused on the long-term benefits of the reforms and to scrutinise political claims ahead of the 2027 elections.
