ABUJA - The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has called for a bottom-up approach to development, stressing that local ecosystems must be made to work for the poor.
Bagudu spoke in Abuja on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at the inauguration of the Board of Trustees and unveiling of the EazyZakat digital platform by the Ummah Zakat Foundation (UZF) held at the Nationa
l Mosque Auditorium.
He said the Federal Government has developed ward-based development plans and mobilised close to N900 million for targeted empowerment programmes, adding that sustainable prosperity requires involving religious leaders, traditional institutions and women groups in governance structures.
"Centralised structures do not solve all needs. Ecosystem functioning is the most important driver of prosperity. We must not increase dependence, but give people opportunity to be productive," Bagudu said.
The Ummah Zakat Foundation said the EazyZakat platform is designed to institutionalise trust in Zakat administration through digitisation. The platform offers real-time tracking, beneficiary profiling, AI-driven distribution, compliance tools and integration with banks. It will be accessible via web, mobile app and USSD.
According to the Foundation, global Zakat potential is estimated at $250bn to $3trn annually, yet only a fraction is captured through trusted channels, despite 63% of Nigerians being multidimensionally poor.
The newly inaugurated Board of Trustees is expected to provide strategic oversight and strengthen governance and accountability.
The Foundation declared: "The obligation exists. The trusted channels need to be strengthened. UZF exists to institutionalise trust," noting that its focus remains women, orphans, the elderly and other vulnerable groups for sustainable empowerment.