The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed deep alarm over recent World Bank data indicating that 139 million Nigerians are now living below the national poverty line, describing the figure as a “catastrophic scorecard” for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
In a scathing statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party argued that the World Bank report, coupled with a World Food Program (WFP) finding that 17 million Nigerians face acute hunger, proves that the current government’s economic trajectory has failed.
The party maintained that the President’s neoliberal economic policies have “favored money over people and statistics over survival,” warning that if the trend continues, nearly 200 million Nigerians could be pushed into extreme poverty by 2027.
Resignation, Not Re-election’
The ADC contended that rather than celebrating increased revenue and foreign reserves, the administration should be sobered by the reality of widespread starvation.
“This catastrophic failure alone should have President Tinubu contemplating resignation from office rather than seeking re-election,” Abdullahi stated. “What Nigeria desperately needs is a government that truly understands how the people feel—a government that is not openly feasting while asking the people to continue fasting.”
The party further criticized the government’s reliance on palliatives, describing them as “temporary interventions” that cannot defeat systemic poverty. “Poverty can only be defeated by building an economy that enables Nigerians to produce more food, earn decent incomes, and live with dignity,” the statement added.
The ADC’s 4-Point Rescue Plan
In response to the crisis, the ADC outlined its own structural reform roadmap, which it claims would address the root causes of hunger and economic stagnation:
The party proposed reducing energy costs and securing agricultural corridors to ensure farmers can return to their lands without fear of banditry.
A commitment to rehabilitating Nigeria’s 264 abandoned irrigation systems to facilitate year-round farming, alongside improved access to quality seeds and fertilizers.
Establishing regional agricultural belts where neighboring states coordinate production, processing, and storage based on their comparative advantages.
Prioritizing nutrition, primary healthcare, and basic education, arguing that no nation can be prosperous while its children are hungry or out of school.
The ADC spokesperson concluded by stating that hunger is the most honest measure of economic performance because it cannot be manipulated by government statistics.
“Until fewer Nigerians go to bed hungry, and until every Nigerian family can once again afford three decent meals a day, every claim of economic success will remain unrecognizable to the people,” Abdullahi said.
The party called on the President to immediately abandon his current economic path or step aside, asserting that Nigerians cannot afford another three years of “recklessness marketed as courage.”
