The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Federal Government of missing the main point in the recent remarks by the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, about Nigeria’s economy.
The party said government officials and their allies in the media focused only on her statement that the administration had “stabilized the economy,” while ignoring her stronger call for urgent action to grow the economy and create social safety nets for millions of Nigerians struggling with the effects of government reforms.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said this reaction shows a government “in desperate need of validation” instead of one concentrating on the real work.
Parts of the statement said:
“Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s recent comments on President Tinubu and the Nigerian economy have been seized upon by government officials and their media allies as if their scandalous implementation of hard reforms, which have condemned the majority of Nigerians to absolute poverty and destroyed millions of jobs, had received endorsement by the oracle herself. This is not correct.”
According to the ADC, Okonjo-Iweala understands that a stable economy must show real growth, be driven by jobs and productivity, and guarantee a minimum standard of living for the people.
“She knows that economic stability that leaves the majority in grinding poverty is meaningless. Therefore, 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. These are the issues she wanted the government to address.”
The party explained that Okonjo-Iweala, being a global stateswoman, began with polite remarks by commending the administration for “stabilizing the economy.” But she quickly pointed out the urgent need for job creation to help the rising number of unemployed youths and others who lost their jobs as businesses closed under government policies.
She stressed that the economy must grow to put money in people’s pockets — meaning the “stable economy” the government is celebrating is not giving real relief to millions of Nigerian families.
The ADC noted that current data does not support the government’s optimism. GDP growth in Q1 2025 was 3.13%, and Q2 just above 3%, far from a strong rebound. Inflation is high — headline inflation at 22.22% and food inflation at 21.97% in June. Petrol costs about ₦1,037.66 per litre, the naira trades at roughly ₦1,530 to the dollar (weaker than the ₦460 before reforms), and purchasing power has dropped sharply.
The party blamed the hardship on the government’s policies — subsidy removal, naira devaluation, and tariff hikes on electricity and transport — and said these make social safety nets a necessity. Yet, according to the ADC, such programs have been poorly run, suspended, or had little impact.
The statement added: “Every well-meaning Nigerian knows that celebrating the mere appearance of ‘stability’ is not only pyrrhic but also dangerous. This is why, we believe, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala tweeted a clarification this afternoon, noting that Nigerians are experiencing hardship from President Tinubu’s reforms, and that putting in place more programs to help especially the poor and vulnerable manage this hardship is very important. She further stressed that ‘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 noted that these comments from Okonjo-Iweala highlight the urgent need for policies that go beyond “rhetoric and propaganda” and directly tackle the harsh realities Nigerians face under the APC
