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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the federal government for what it described as an attempt to “whitewash” the country’s economic realities with favourable GDP figures, insisting that millions of Nigerians are grappling with worsening hardship.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said it was inappropriate for the government to celebrate economic statistics while citizens face rising hunger, poverty, and declining purchasing power.
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“The reality of the Nigerian economy is not what is written in government presentations. The reality is what Nigerians confront every day in markets, on farms, in factories, in shops, and in their homes,” the statement said.
“No government should be celebrating economic statistics while millions of its citizens are battling hunger, poverty, collapsing purchasing power, and rising hopelessness.”
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The ADC is reacting to Minister of Finance Taiwo Oyedele’s presentation at a meeting with investors in Paris, France, on Tuesday.
At the meeting alongside President Bola Tinubu, Mr Oyedele painted a glowing picture of a growing economy to the investors.
He told them that Nigeria recorded an 11.2 per cent GDP growth in dollar terms in 2025, and that the country’s ambition to grow the economy to $1 trillion by 2030 was on course.
But the ADC said the living conditions of Nigerians do not reflect the figures presented by the APC-led government.
According to the ADC, food prices have surged, transportation costs have become “punitive,” and small businesses are shutting down due to inflation, high energy costs, and weak consumer demand.
It added that salaries have lost value, pushing many families that once lived modestly into survival mode.
“Economic growth that does not reduce suffering, create jobs, improve incomes, or restore dignity to citizens is empty growth. Growth that only exists in official reports while citizens descend deeper into hardship is not meaningful progress. It is economic abstraction disconnected from human reality,” the statement said.
According to the party, growth that fails to create jobs, raise incomes, or reduce poverty amounts to “economic abstraction disconnected from human reality.” It stressed that governance should prioritise improving citizens’ welfare rather than managing public perception through statistics.
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The ADC also questioned what Nigerians should celebrate, pointing to persistent food inflation, widespread unemployment and underemployment, and a growing number of businesses shutting down.
“A government that is serious about economic recovery would show humility, acknowledge the pain Nigerians are experiencing, and focus on delivering measurable improvements in living conditions,” the statement added.
The ADC maintained that the true test of economic policy lies in whether citizens’ lives are improving, concluding that for many Nigerians, “the answer is no.”
It called for an economic approach that delivers tangible benefits such as affordable food, stable electricity, decent jobs, and improved purchasing power, warning that until such changes are evident, claims of economic success lack moral justification.
