ADC says Tinubu's policies pushed 139 million Nigerians into poverty

The African Democratic Congress has come out strongly against President Tinubu's economic policies, citing World Bank and World Food Programme reports that paint a devastating picture of life in Nigeria today. According to their statement released today, 139 million Nigerians — about 60 per cent of the population — now live below the national poverty line, while 17 million are facing acute hunger. These are not opposition numbers, these are international institutions we all pay dues to.

Their National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, put it this way: "The recent reports by the World Bank indicating that 139 million Nigerians or about 60 per cent of the population now live below the national poverty line are hardly surprising, as this catastrophic situation is the inevitable consequence of economic policies that have favoured money over people and statistics over survival." That is a direct quote and it cuts deep because it is true. The government keeps celebrating increased revenue and foreign reserves while ordinary people cannot afford garri.

The ADC is even asking Tinubu to resign rather than seek re-election, arguing that three years of this approach has produced nothing but suffering. They say hunger is the most honest measure of economic performance because it cannot be manipulated. I have been saying this for months — you cannot eat GDP growth. Until fewer Nigerians go to bed hungry, every claim of economic recovery is just noise. What do you think, is resignation too harsh or is it the only honest response to this data?