Dr. Tanimu Yakubu, Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, argues in a recent paper that Nigeria’s poverty crisis predates current economic reforms. He maintains that while the reforms have caused immediate hardships, attributing all structural poverty to them is historically inaccurate. However, critics note a significant reform transmission gap: while macroeconomic indicators like reserves and fiscal stability show improvement, the benefits have not yet reached households. The proposed solution involves a Protection-to-Production Compact, which seeks to integrate targeted social protections with long-term supply-side reforms to bridge the gap between macroeconomic recovery and household welfare.