The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deliberately twisting recent comments by World Trade Organization Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to suggest she endorsed its controversial economic reforms.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the government and its media allies were “seizing upon” her remarks as though their “scandalous implementation of hard reforms” — which have thrown millions into poverty and destroyed jobs — had received the blessing of the WTO chief.
“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. She knows that economic stability that leaves the majority in grinding poverty is meaningless,” the ADC stated.
The party insisted that what Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was really pointing out — but which the government chose to ignore — was 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.”
It noted that, as a seasoned global leader, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala had first extended diplomatic courtesy by commending the administration for “stabilizing the economy,” but immediately underscored the urgent need for policies that would create jobs and ease the suffering of unemployed youths and millions who lost their livelihoods under Tinubu’s watch.
“She said the government needs to urgently grow the economy to put money in people’s pockets — which means that whatever ‘stable economy’ the government is celebrating has not translated into real relief for hundreds of millions of Nigerian families, and they need to change course,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC dismissed the administration’s optimism, citing grim figures that expose the fragility of the so-called stability. “GDP growth in Q1 2025 was 3.13 percent, and Q2 registered barely over 3 percent — a sluggish pace that fails to meet the expectation of broad-based expansion,” the statement noted.
It also pointed to unyielding inflation, skyrocketing fuel prices, and a battered currency: “Headline inflation remains at 22.22 percent, with food inflation at 21.97 percent. Petrol prices now average N1,037.66 per litre… The naira trades at around N1,530 to the dollar — drastically weaker than President Tinubu’s pre-reform levels of N460.”
According to the ADC, it is Tinubu’s own policy choices — fuel subsidy removal, naira devaluation, tariff hikes on electricity and transport — that triggered the economic distress, making social safety nets essential. “Yet these programs have either been administered haphazardly, suspended, or had negligible impact,” the statement said.
The party stressed that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala herself clarified her comments in a tweet on Friday, stating: “Nigerians are experiencing hardship from President Tinubu’s reforms, and putting in place more programs to help especially the poor and vulnerable manage this hardship is very important… 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.”
“It is in this regard that 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 concluded.
