The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Federal Government for what it described as a misplaced celebration of Nigeria’s reported Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, insisting that economic figures mean little to citizens struggling with rising hardship.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party argued that economic expansion reported in official statistics has not translated into improved living conditions for Nigerians.
It maintained that “people do not eat GDP,” stressing that growth is only meaningful when it leads to lower food prices, job creation, stronger purchasing power, and improved welfare.
According to the party, millions of Nigerians continue to grapple with hunger, inflation, unemployment, and increasing cost of doing business despite government claims of economic progress.
“Growth that only exists in official reports while citizens descend deeper into hardship is not meaningful progress,” the statement said.
The ADC urged the government to shift attention away from what it called “celebration of statistics” and focus on policies that deliver tangible benefits to the population.
“The ADC rejects the Federal Government’s attempt to use headline GDP figures to whitewash the deep economic suffering Nigerians are currently enduring across the country,” the statement read.
“No government should be celebrating economic statistics while millions of its citizens are battling hunger, poverty, collapsing purchasing power, and rising hopelessness.
“The reality of the Nigerian economy is not what is written in government presentations. The reality is what Nigerians confront every day in markets, on farms, in factories, in shops, and in their homes.”
The party highlighted rising food prices, transport costs, and inflation as major pressures affecting households, adding that small businesses are closing due to high operating costs and weak demand.
“Food prices are unbearable.
”Transportation costs have become punitive. Small businesses are shutting down daily under the crushing weight of inflation, energy costs, and weak consumer demand,” it stated.
It further argued that salaries have lost value and that many families who once lived modestly are now struggling to survive.
“Salaries have lost value. Families who once lived modestly are now struggling to survive. Yet this government wants Nigerians to applaud GDP growth figures,” it added.
The ADC maintained that economic progress cannot be measured by statistics alone, describing meaningful growth as one that improves incomes, creates jobs, and restores dignity to citizens.
“Economic growth that does not reduce suffering, create jobs, improve incomes, or restore dignity to citizens is empty growth,” it said.
The party also questioned what it described as the disconnect between government narratives and the daily realities of citizens, citing persistent food inflation, unemployment, and business closures.
It added that the primary purpose of governance is to improve the living conditions of citizens, not to promote economic indicators.
“A government that is serious about economic recovery would show humility, acknowledge the pain Nigerians are experiencing, and focus on delivering measurable improvements in living conditions instead of celebrating figures that have no meaning to hungry citizens,” it stated.
The ADC said the true measure of economic policy should be whether citizens are better off than before, adding that for many Nigerians, the answer remains negative.
It called for an economy that benefits ordinary citizens, with improved access to affordable food, stable electricity, jobs, and reduced cost pressures, warning that without these, claims of success lack credibility.
