- Odibo Victory
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said that the growth of the country’s GDP figures doesn’t put food on the table of Nigerians.
ADC called out the government’s attempt to use headline GDP figures to whitewash the deep economic suffering Nigerians are currently enduring across the country.
This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who noted that growth in GDP figures does not translate to reduction in the economic hardship of the country.
Abdullahi held that millions of Nigerians remain trapped in hunger, inflation, unemployment, and rising business costs despite government claims of economic progress.
He added that “growth that only exists in official reports while citizens descend deeper into hardship is not meaningful progress.”
“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.
“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. Salaries have lost value.
“Families who once lived modestly are now struggling to survive. Yet this government wants Nigerians to applaud GDP growth figures.” He said.
The ADC spokesperson further noted that economic growth goes beyond official reports and economic statistics.
“Economic growth that does not reduce suffering, create jobs, improve incomes, or restore dignity to citizens is empty growth.
“Growth that only exists in official reports while citizens descend deeper into hardship is not meaningful progress.
“It is economic abstraction disconnected from human reality. The purpose of governance is not to manage public relations for economic statistics.” He said.
The ADC, according to Abdullahi, subscribes to the notion that a government committed to the nation’s growth would admit the hardship Nigerians face and prioritize real improvements.
“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.” The spokesperson noted.
Abdullahi reiterated that economic growth should be found in the lives of ordinary citizens.
“Until growth is felt in the homes of ordinary citizens, through affordable food, stable electricity, decent jobs, lower business costs, and improved purchasing power, this government has no moral basis to declare economic success.” He added.