Tinubu poverty report reaction draws ADC criticism after World Bank says 139 million Nigerians now live below poverty line. Party calls it “economic failure”
Tinubu poverty report reaction has sparked sharp criticism from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of denying the harsh economic reality faced by millions of Nigerians.
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The ADC’s statement followed the release of the World Bank’s October 2025 report, which revealed that 139 million Nigerians—or around 61 percent of the population—now live below the poverty line. This marks a dramatic rise from 81 million recorded in 2019.
Reacting swiftly, the Presidency dismissed the report as “unrealistic”, with Presidential aide Sunday Dare insisting that the data required “proper contextualisation”.
But the ADC fired back on Thursday, describing the response as “dangerous denialism” and a refusal to acknowledge the suffering caused by what it labelled “failed economic policies” under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The World Bank numbers tell a simple but painful story: under the APC and President Bola Tinubu’s government, more Nigerians have fallen into poverty than at any other time in our history,” said Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC.
“In 2019, four out of ten Nigerians were poor. Today, it is at least six out of ten.”
Tinubu poverty report reaction was also described by the ADC as “government propaganda” aimed at masking widespread economic hardship.
The party accused the government of publishing selective statistics to paint a false image of stability and progress.
Behind President Tinubu’s “shiny statistics,” the ADC said, lie grim realities: families skipping meals, children dropping out of school, and households selling possessions to afford food and basic medicines.
It added that nearly 30 million people have joined the ranks of the ultra-poor since 2019—those who, even if they spent all they earned on food, would still be unable to afford the calories needed for survival.
While the government touts record revenue collection, the ADC said food inflation has eroded household incomes. “A bag of rice now costs five times what it did just four years ago,” the party noted.
“Poor families spend up to 70 percent of their income on food, leaving nothing for rent, school fees, or healthcare.”
The ADC also cited a collapse in social safety net coverage, which it said has fallen from 20 percent in 2019 to just 6 percent in 2025. Government support for the poorest Nigerians is now only 0.14 percent of GDP, compared to a global average of 1.5 percent.
The party criticised Nigeria’s poverty measurement threshold, which sits at around ₦137,000 monthly (or about $90), for undercounting the true scale of poverty.
It argued that by using an artificially low benchmark, the government continues to “flatter itself” rather than confront the reality.
Abdullahi said, “The worst is not over, as the President claims. It may, in fact, be just beginning. The government must stop boasting and start acting to protect those who are suffering most.”
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The ADC called on the Tinubu administration to prioritise food security, job creation, and social protection, saying only inclusive, people-focused reforms would pull the country back from the brink.
