By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukeu, Warri
A former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, has taken a swipe at the federal and state Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs, describing them as channels for massive corruption and reckless embezzlement of public funds.
Speaking in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, the elder statesman lamented that rather than addressing the needs of distressed Nigerians, the ministries have become notorious for siphoning billions of naira under the guise of welfare and social intervention.
“One would have thought that the creation of these ministries would make a significant impact on the welfare of the people,” Essien said. “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 also condemned the growing trend of “empowerment programmes” by political officeholders, describing them as cosmetic and unsustainable attempts to mask deeper governance failures.
“These so-called empowerment programmes are largely a ruse and an easy cover-up for years of government failure. They’ve become yet another avenue to squander the people’s money,” he said.
According to the former South-South Parliamentary Caucus leader, the responsibility of delivering basic services such as education, health care, and infrastructure has been abdicated by government officials, leaving local politicians to fill the void in ways that promote waste and corruption.
“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 the government, in many ways, did its job,” he added.
Essien stressed that no serious country tackles poverty by handing out foodstuffs and cash in markets or town halls. He pointed to nations like Brazil, Mexico, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Rwanda as examples of governments that tie social support to measurable development outcomes such as education, healthcare, vocational training, and public works.
“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 explained.
He further expressed frustration with Nigeria’s weak anti-corruption institutions and their inability to prosecute public officials accused of looting humanitarian funds.
“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,” he said.
Essien called on elected officials to focus on their constitutional roles of lawmaking, oversight, and constituency representation, rather than engaging in executive functions that encourage inefficiency and personal enrichment.
“What Nigerians truly want are opportunities—access to land, loans, training, stable electricity, and consistent policies. What we need is infrastructure that supports markets, technology that opens new doors, and policies that attract investment,” he noted.
The former minister concluded by urging the government to rethink its approach to social welfare, prioritize investments that build human capacity, and adopt sustainable models that offer dignity rather than dependence.
“The truth is, many people who were ‘empowered’ since 1999 are still standing in the same queue, waiting for the next round. Let us restore governance to its proper role and learn from models that work,” he said.