The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said its position on Nigeria’s poverty rate is not an incitement but a reflection of the views of ordinary Nigerians, who bear the brunt of the adverse economic policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party noted that independent surveys show 93 percent of Nigerians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. Eighty-eight percent describe the national economy as bad, while 74 percent say their personal living conditions are poor.
“These are not opposition talking points. They reflect the views of Nigerians themselves, including APC members,” the party said.
The ADC accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of undermining domestic food production by relying heavily on food imports to manage inflation. Citing official data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the party said Nigeria’s food import bill has jumped from N3.83 trillion in 2023 to N7.65 trillion in 2025—an increase of about 100 percent.
“This shows that instead of strengthening our local agricultural sector and protecting Nigerian farmers, APC policies are discouraging domestic production and putting thousands of farmers and processors out of business,” the statement added.
According to the party, of over 150 rice mills in Nigeria, nearly 90 have shut down, while the remaining mills operate at just 30–70 percent of capacity, largely due to policies encouraging import dependency.
The statement dismissed the APC’s claim that Nigerians’ hardship is “transient,” pointing to surveys showing that 82 percent of Nigerians went without enough food at least once in the past year, 82 percent lacked medical care, 79 percent went without cooking fuel, 74 percent had no clean water, and 95 percent had no cash income at some point during the year.
“These figures reflect widespread and deepening economic distress, not temporary discomfort,” the ADC said.
The party also noted that while the APC boasts of positive macroeconomic indicators, Nigerians live in a real economy where fuel prices have surged nearly 500 percent, from about N255 per litre in May 2023 to around N1,500 per litre in many areas driving up transport and food costs.
ADC further disputed APC claims that the approximately N6.4 trillion saved from fuel subsidy removal was redirected to vital sectors such as healthcare and social development. It noted that only N36 million (0.02 percent of the capital budget) was released for capital projects in 2025 for the federal healthcare sector.
“Nigerians are therefore left to ask: if subsidy savings are truly being redirected to critical sectors, where is the money going? Why are local contractors unpaid? Why are universities still poorly equipped?” the party asked.
The ADC lamented that instead of addressing evidence that more Nigerians are falling into poverty under APC, the ruling party attacks the opposition and dismisses the lived realities of millions. “Facts cannot be dismissed by press statements,” the party said.
“Nigerians do not expect economic lectures or political attacks; they expect policies that improve their lives. Until the Tinubu-led government measures success by the well-being of its citizens, the gap between official claims and lived reality will only continue to widen,” ADC concluded.
