The Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) has cautioned that poor policy coordination among federal, state, and local governments is impeding Nigeria’s economic progress.
The Institute urged the Federal Government to establish a legal framework for policy coordination in economic planning.
Director General of NISER, Prof. Antonia Simbine, made this statement at the dissemination workshop of a study titled “Planning for Economic Development and Policy Coordination in a Federal State” in Abuja on Thursday.
She explained that the lack of a mandatory institutional framework and weak cooperation between federal, state, and local authorities are key reasons why successive national development plans have failed to improve living standards.
She added that the study, which involved ministries and agencies across all states, found that issues such as lack of information sharing, political disagreements, and poor coordination — especially in crucial sectors like education, health, and agriculture — are undermining the effectiveness of national development strategies.
Simbine stated: “We visited and engaged with all the states of the federation as well as local governments, gathering their responses and perspectives on why synergy between the different levels of government remains weak.
“One recurring issue is politics. Often, states governed by parties different from the federal ruling party lack adequate information about federal programmes. Without that information, they cannot effectively implement initiatives aligned with national priorities.
“For example, if the federal government prioritises ensuring that all school-age children are enrolled in school, but a state does not see this as a priority, the state pursues a different agenda. This misalignment creates fragmented policies across levels of government. This was one of the key issues highlighted during the course of our study.”
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Dr. Samson Ebimaro, stressed the need for decisions to be driven by data, not assumptions, while praising President Bola Tinubu’s political courage in implementing tough economic policies.
He explained that Nigeria operates within a volatile economy characterised by multiple variables, making it challenging to provide absolute certainty or definitive projections.
Ebimaro stated that this volatility necessitates basing assumptions and forecasts on solid evidence, allowing progress to be confidently measured even when actual outcomes are slightly above or below projections.
He also noted that, although policies may be sound, political expediency often influences how the government enacts them.
“We know that, though we make policies, political expediency often affects what the government wants to do with our policies and conclusions.
“So we need political courage to implement projects and priorities. And good enough, we have a courageous President, Bola Tinubu, who has taken very good decisions in terms of economic policy implementation”, he said.
Head of NISER’s Knowledge Management Department, Prof. Andrew Onwuemele, observed that while federal agencies display relatively strong collaboration, particularly among ministries of education, agriculture, and health, state and local governments remain poorly integrated into planning and implementation.
He said: “We found very little coordination between the federal and state governments, particularly their ministries, which indicates a clear gap and a tendency for both levels to work in silos. Looking further down, we examined the role of local governments as the tier closest to the people in both the design and implementation of policies.
“Our findings revealed very low involvement of local governments in these processes. Yet, development begins at the grassroots, and when local authorities are sidelined, even by the states, a significant gap emerges.
“This lack of inclusion often results in the implementation of projects that are misaligned with the real needs of the people at the grassroots.
“Therefore, one of our key recommendations is the need for greater involvement of all three tiers of government, working collaboratively in both the design and execution of national policies to ensure they reflect local realities and drive inclusive development.”
