The Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO), has announced that it disbursed a total of ₦420 billion in loans to 718,000 clients between January 2024 and September 2025, reaffirming its commitment to poverty alleviation and financial inclusion across Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
The organization said it continues to expand its reach and deepen its impact, with over 10,000 staff members and more than five million clients across both countries.
The President of LAPO, Barr. Faith Osazuwa-Ojo, disclosed this in Abuja, during the 32nd Annual LAPO Development Forum, themed “Citizen Engagement and Responsive Governance for National Development.”
Osazuwa-Ojo commended LAPO’s founder, Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe, and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Ngozi Ehigiamusoe, for their enduring vision and dedication since 1994, noting that Dr. Ehigiamusoe has long recognized the importance of dialogue and collaboration in advancing national development and human well-being.
She said: “Our institutions, LAPO Microfinance Bank, Micro Investment Support Services, a government-approved Monotechnic, the LAPO Institute for Microfinance and Management Studies, LAPO Microfinance Company, Sierra Leone, and the Benin Medical Care and Diagnostic Centre, provide access to finance, healthcare, and socio-economic empowerment programmes.
“We have continued to expand our reach and deepen our impact with over 10,000 staff members and over five million clients across Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Our achievements between January 2024 and September, 2025 speak to this commitment to Improving lives.
“LAPO Microfinance Bank disbursed total loan of over ₦420 billion to 718,363 clients, while the Lift Above Poverty Organisation has empowered 301,944 individuals in the agricultural value chain with over ₦61 billion between January 2024 and September 2025.”
She noted that since its establishment in 1987, LAPO has remained steadfast in addressing poverty through a multi-sectoral approach, including access to finance, healthcare, and education, adding that, “From humble beginnings, LAPO has evolved into a multi-institutional network with over 10,000 staff and more than five million clients across Nigeria and Sierra Leone.”
Osazuwa-Ojo highlighted LAPO’s intervention in health and social welfare, saying that over 320,000 individuals benefited from free medical services, including screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, malaria, and HIV between January 2024 and September 2025.
She added, “LAPO understands that health challenges such as malnutrition and communicable diseases often exacerbate poverty. That is why our interventions go beyond microfinance to include health awareness, maternal and child health, and hygiene education.”
The Chairman of the Occasion, Sen. Ita Solomon Enang, former Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters (Senate) and Niger Delta Affairs, praised the LAPO Annual Development Forum for serving as a vital platform for promoting dialogue on social justice, empowerment, governance, and sustainable development.
In his remarks, the Special Guest of Honour, Dr. Ike Neliaku, President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), described LAPO as “a moral enterprise, a voice for empowerment, and a catalyst for national renewal.”
He said the theme of the forum was both timely and strategic, emphasizing that Nigeria’s progress depends on rebuilding trust between government and citizens.
He said: “It captures the essence of what our country must now prioritize, the reconnection between the government and the governed, between policy and the people, between citizens and their administrators.”
Neliaku stressed that governance is a covenant between leaders and citizens.
“Where that relationship is strong, nations thrive. Where it is weak, distrust grows, progress stalls, and the gap between potential and reality widens.
“Responsive governance is one that listens, learns, and acts, treating citizens not as subjects to be managed, but as partners in progress. Citizen engagement is not a luxury of democracy; it is its lifeblood. Without it, policies become detached, institutions lose legitimacy, and development becomes directionless.”
He congratulated LAPO for earning global recognition and sustaining an initiative that “consistently advances intellectual discourse and social action for a more inclusive Nigeria.”
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Otive Igbuzor identified weak institutions and limited citizen participation as key obstacles to Nigeria’s development.
He said: “Citizen engagement is not a luxury; it is the lifeblood of democracy. For development to be meaningful, citizens must participate as rights-holders, not as passive recipients of government benevolence.”
Igbuzor urged all tiers of government to embrace participatory budgeting, open contracting, and civic education as tools to enhance transparency and accountability.
He added: “Responsive governance must listen to citizens, deliver services equitably, and promote inclusiveness. Development is not merely about wealth or infrastructure, it is about enhancing human well-being, freedom, and dignity. When citizens are engaged in decision-making, governance outcomes become more legitimate, equitable, and sustainable.”
Igbuzor also called on civil society, the media, and social movements to strengthen their roles as bridges between citizens and policymakers, stressing that “development cannot be imposed; it must be co-created with citizens.”