Reverse economic policies or step down — ADC tells Tinubu
By Taiwo Scholarstica
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to either reverse his current economic policies or step down from office, arguing that rising poverty and hunger under his administration have become sufficient justification for such action.
The opposition party said recent poverty and food security data released by international development agencies showed that the government’s economic reforms had failed to improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians despite official claims of economic progress.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said reports showing that 139 million Nigerians now live below the national poverty line, with millions also facing severe food insecurity, underscored the impact of the Federal Government’s economic policies on citizens.
“The evidence of 139m people living in poverty and 17m at the risk of starvation is President Tinubu’s scorecard.
“On account of this catastrophic failure alone, President Tinubu should be contemplating resigning from office rather than seeking re-election,” the statement read in part.
The party maintained that although the Federal Government had continued to highlight gains such as increased revenue, stronger foreign exchange reserves and improved macroeconomic indicators, those achievements had not translated into improved welfare for Nigerians.
“The ADC has repeatedly warned that the economic growth, increased revenue, and rising foreign reserves that the Tinubu-led APC government continues to celebrate are meaningless if they do not translate into better lives for the people or protect their livelihoods,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC further accused the administration of persisting with what it described as “ruinous economic policies,” adding that it had continued to “market recklessness as courage and wickedness as necessary pains.”
According to the party, Nigeria requires “a president and a government that truly understand how the people feel and genuinely care about them.
“The true measure of any economic policy is whether it improves the lives of the people, not compounds their misery.”
The party also dismissed the Federal Government’s social intervention programmes as insufficient, insisting that palliative measures could not provide a lasting solution to poverty and food insecurity.
“Poverty cannot be defeated through palliatives. It can only be defeated by building an economy that enables Nigerians to produce more food, earn decent incomes and live with dignity,” the statement said.
Presenting its alternative economic plan, the ADC said it would prioritise security in farming communities, rehabilitate the country’s 264 abandoned dams to improve irrigation, enhance farmers’ access to quality inputs and strengthen agricultural value chains to boost food production and reduce food prices.
The party also promised to establish regional agricultural production hubs, lower transportation costs, invest in storage and agro-processing facilities, and increase spending on nutrition, healthcare, education and skills development.
“The choice before Nigeria is no longer between competing economic theories.
“It is between an economy that produces impressive government statistics and one that produces better lives for its people,” it added.
The latest remarks come amid ongoing debates over the impact of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of petrol subsidy, exchange-rate liberalisation and tax reforms introduced after the President assumed office in May 2023.
The Federal Government has consistently defended the reforms, describing them as necessary measures to stabilise the economy after years of structural challenges. It has cited improvements in public revenue, external reserves, investor confidence and easing inflationary trends as signs that the policies are beginning to deliver results.
To mitigate the immediate impact of the reforms, the government has introduced several intervention programmes, including cash transfers, student loans, consumer credit schemes, and support initiatives for small businesses and the agricultural sector.
However, opposition parties, organised labour and civil society groups have continued to argue that the reforms have worsened the cost-of-living crisis, reduced household purchasing power and pushed more Nigerians below the poverty line.