*Says: Heed WTO DG’s call for growth, jobs, social safety nets
By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to focus on the overlooked aspects of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s recent assessment of the Nigerian economy, accusing the Federal Government of cherry-picking her remarks for political gain.
The party faulted the government for celebrating Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s acknowledgment of economic ‘stabilization’ while ignoring her call for measures to grow the economy, create jobs, and provide social safety nets for millions of struggling Nigerians.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the selective celebration of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General’s comments shows a search for validation rather than a resolve to tackle 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 key data to support its stance, noting GDP growth in Q1 2025 was 3.13 percent and barely above 3 percent in Q2, figures it said fall short of the robust recovery promised by the administration.
It said inflation stood at 22.22 percent in June 2025, with food inflation at 21.97 percent, while petrol sold for an average of N1,037.66 per litre and the naira traded at about N1,530 to the dollar.
“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 programs have either been administered haphazardly, suspended, or had negligible impact,” Abdullahi added.
The party also referred to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s social media clarification, stressing the need for urgent growth and job creation to ease hardship where she said, “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 risks distracting from the need for urgent action.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
