The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Federal Government for what it described as the selective interpretation of recent comments by the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the Nigerian economy.
In a statement on Friday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the government of celebrating only Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s reference to “stabilization” while ignoring her call for urgent measures to stimulate growth, create jobs, and strengthen social safety nets.
According to the ADC, the administration’s reaction reflects a search for validation rather than a genuine commitment to tackling Nigeria’s economic challenges.
“Dr. Okonjo-Iweala knows that a stable economy is one that is growing in real terms, led by jobs and productivity. She knows that a stable economy is one that is able to guarantee minimum standards of living for the people. What she’s really saying, which the government has chosen to ignore, is that the economy is not growing, jobs are not being created, and too many people are suffering as a direct consequence of President Tinubu’s ill-conceived and badly implemented reforms,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC cited official figures to support its position, noting that gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.13 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 and marginally above 3 per cent in the second quarter, numbers it described as falling short of the “robust recovery” promised by the Tinubu administration.
The party further pointed to June 2025 inflation figures of 22.22 per cent, with food inflation at 21.97 per cent, average petrol prices at N1,037.66 per litre, and the naira trading at about N1,530 to the dollar.
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“It is the Tinubu administration’s policy choices, fuel subsidy removal, naira devaluation, tariff hikes on electricity and transport, that have triggered this distress and made social safety nets not optional but essential. Yet these programmes have either been administered haphazardly, suspended, or had negligible impact,” Abdullahi added.
The ADC also drew attention to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s subsequent clarification on social media, in which she stressed the importance of prioritising growth and job creation to ease hardship.
Quoting her directly, the party noted her remark: “At the same time, it is necessary to start work on growing the economy to create more jobs and put money in people’s pockets.”
The ADC warned that celebrating superficial stability without addressing underlying economic realities risks distracting from urgent reforms.
“Every well-meaning Nigerian knows that celebrating the mere appearance of ‘stability’ is pyrrhic. The ADC strongly believes such candour from a global economic leader like Dr. Okonjo-Iweala underscores the urgent need for federal government policies that go beyond rhetoric and propaganda but address the daily harsh realities of millions of Nigerians under the APC,” the statement concluded.
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