ADC Slams Government Over Empty GDP Growth
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed the federal government’s celebration of a 22 per cent rise in dollar GDP as a whitewash. While official data suggests the economy hit $307bn in 2025, the opposition party argues these figures offer no relief to a hungry population. National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi noted that “people do not eat GDP.” He insists that economic statistics are hollow if they do not create jobs or lower the price of bread.
The numbers from Quartus Economics tell a story of recovery that many Nigerians do not recognise. The report claims the economy surged from $252bn in 2024 to $307.5bn last year, helped by a stronger naira. This puts Nigeria ahead of South Africa and Egypt in the regional growth race. Only Ghana managed to outpace this reported expansion. Yet, the ADC maintains that this is “empty growth.” It exists in reports but vanishes when citizens enter the market.
Inflation and energy costs continue to crush the small businesses that actually employ people. The party points to the daily collapse of shops and factories under the weight of weak demand. Transport costs have become punitive for the average worker. Salaries have lost their purchasing power, forcing modest families into a desperate struggle for survival. The government appears more interested in managing public relations than managing the actual economy.
Governance should be measured by the dignity of the citizen, not the appreciation of the currency. The ADC argues that the celebration of macroeconomic indicators is a distraction from rising unemployment. Millions of young Nigerians remain without work despite the supposed boom. Business owners face a landscape where firms shut down faster than new ones can open. If the growth does not reduce suffering, it is merely a statistical mirage.
The disconnect between the villa and the street is widening. Food inflation continues to devastate households while officials toast to surpassing the sub-Saharan African average. The party questions what there is to celebrate when food prices remain unbearable. They view the government’s focus on nominal GDP as a refusal to face the reality of the farms and markets. A bigger economy is useless if it leaves the people behind.
Nigeria’s economic planners must look beyond the spreadsheet. Growth that does not improve incomes or restore dignity is a failure of policy. The ADC calls for a shift toward interventions that actually lower costs for the poor. Until the “headline figures” translate into cheaper fuel and food, the government’s victory lap is premature. True progress is felt in the pocket, not read in a bulletin.