The African Democratic Congress has criticised the Federal Government over its celebration of Nigeria’s reported Gross Domestic Product growth, saying the figures do not reflect the harsh economic realities facing ordinary citizens.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the government of relying on “headline GDP figures” to mask the growing hardship across the country.
According to the ADC, rising food prices, inflation, unemployment, weak purchasing power and the collapse of small businesses indicate that many Nigerians have yet to feel any positive impact from the reported economic growth.
“People do not eat GDP,” the party stated, stressing that economic growth is only meaningful when it improves living conditions, creates jobs and reduces hardship.
The statement read, “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.”
The opposition party accused the government of focusing more on economic statistics than the realities confronting Nigerians in markets, homes, farms and factories.
“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,” the ADC said.
Questioning the basis for celebrating the economic figures, the party asked, “What exactly should Nigerians celebrate? The fact that food inflation continues to devastate households? That millions of young Nigerians remain unemployed or underemployed? That businesses are collapsing faster than new ones are emerging?”
The criticism followed a report by Quartus Economics which stated that Nigeria’s dollar GDP rose by 22 per cent to approximately $307bn in 2025, driven by stronger economic output and appreciation of the naira.
According to the report, Nigeria’s GDP increased from about $252bn in 2024 to $307.5bn in 2025, while nominal GDP rose from N372.8tn to N441.5tn within the same period.
The report also noted that Nigeria outperformed the Sub-Saharan African average and recorded stronger growth than several major African economies, including South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Angola, with only Ghana posting higher growth.
However, the ADC maintained that macroeconomic indicators alone cannot be used to measure citizens’ wellbeing.
“The purpose of governance is not to manage public relations for economic statistics. The purpose of governance is to improve the living conditions of the people,” the statement added.
The party insisted that until economic growth translates into affordable food, stable electricity supply, decent jobs, lower business costs and improved purchasing power, the government cannot claim genuine economic success.
The statement comes amid ongoing debates over the impact of the Federal Government’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate adjustments, which authorities say are necessary for long-term recovery but have also contributed to rising living costs nationwide.
