- Accept World Bank verdict, your policies have deepened poverty – ADC to Tinubu
In an apparent above-average score to the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government, the Presidency has rejected the World Bank’s recent report estimating that 139 million Nigerians are living in poverty, saying the figures do not reflect current realities under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, in a statement, asserted the data quoted by the World Bank must be properly contextualised, noting that it is based on historical and modelled estimates rather than real-time assessments.
According to the statement, the World Bank’s estimate was derived from the global poverty benchmark of $2.15 per person per day, set in 2017 under the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) framework. Dare explained that the figure, when converted to today’s exchange rate, equals about ₦100,000 per month—an amount that is above Nigeria’s new minimum wage of ₦70,000.
“The measure is an analytical construct, not a direct reflection of local income realities,” he said. “The poverty assessment under the PPP methodology relies on outdated consumption data, with Nigeria’s last major household survey conducted in 2018/2019.”
He added that the estimate does not account for the informal and subsistence sectors that sustain millions of households across the country.
The Presidency maintained that the figure should be regarded as a global model estimate, not an empirical representation of conditions in 2025, and emphasised that the country’s poverty trajectory is now one of recovery and inclusive reform.
Dare listed a range of government programmes aimed at reducing poverty and improving living standards, including:
Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT): Expanded to reach 15 million households nationwide, with over ₦297 billion disbursed since 2023.
Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RH-WDEP): Covering all 8,809 electoral wards, providing micro-infrastructure and social services at the community level.
National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs): Strengthened initiatives such as N-Power, TraderMoni, MarketMoni, FarmerMoni, and the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.
Food Security Measures: Including distribution of subsidised grains and fertilisers, mechanisation initiatives, and the revival of strategic food reserves.
Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund (RHIF): Financing key energy, road, and housing projects to reduce living costs and boost job creation.
National Credit Guarantee Company (NCGC): Expanding access to affordable credit for small businesses, women, and youth.
The Presidency said the government is addressing long-standing structural challenges such as overdependence on imports, productivity constraints, and regional disparities.
It noted that reforms such as the removal of fuel subsidies, exchange rate unification, and fiscal redirection toward productive sectors are part of efforts to tackle the root causes of poverty and promote sustainable growth.
Dare said the World Bank itself has acknowledged that these reforms are contributing to macroeconomic stability and renewed growth momentum.
The statement added that the administration’s medium-term focus is to ensure that macroeconomic stability translates into tangible welfare gains for citizens through affordable food, quality jobs, and reliable infrastructure.
It said ongoing investments in agriculture, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and power reliability are expected to create employment and lower living costs.
According to the Presidency, Nigerians are expected to begin seeing improvements in food prices, income levels, and purchasing power as these programmes continue to take effect.
However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to accept the recent World Bank report showing a sharp rise in poverty across Nigeria.
According to them, it is clear proof that his administration’s economic policies have worsened the living conditions of millions of citizens.
In a statement released on Thursday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the World Bank’s October 2025 report which revealed that 139 million Nigerians are now living below the poverty line, up from 81 million in 2019 exposes the government’s economic failures and misplaced priorities.
“The World Bank’s report tells a painful truth under the APC and President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, more Nigerians have slipped into poverty than ever before.
“In 2019, four out of every ten Nigerians were poor; today, that number has risen to at least six out of ten,” the ADC said.
“Yet, during his Independence Day speech, President Tinubu claimed that the worst is over, quoting figures that now appear to be nothing more than carefully crafted propaganda to paint a false picture of progress.
“Behind those polished numbers lies the harsh reality of growing human suffering families going hungry, children leaving school, and households selling their few possessions just to afford food and medicine.”
According to the statement, under the APC government, about 30 million more Nigerians have fallen into extreme poverty, unable to afford enough food even if they spend all they earn on it.
“The government may boast of record revenues and stability, but the truth is Nigerians are getting poorer every day,” the ADC said.
“Food prices have skyrocketed, with a bag of rice now five times costlier than four years ago. Most poor families spend nearly all their income just to eat, while social safety nets have almost vanished.
“The World Bank’s data clearly shows that life has become harder under the APC and President Tinubu, and instead of denying this reality, the government should accept the facts and act before things get worse.”
The ADC said Nigeria’s social safety nets have collapsed, with coverage dropping from 20% in 2019 to just 6% in 2025, and government aid to the poorest citizens nearly non-existent.
It accused the APC government of masking the country’s deepening poverty through misleading statistics, noting that Nigeria’s poverty line is set far below global standards; a move that hides, rather than helps, the poor.
The party urged President Tinubu to accept the World Bank’s verdict and address the worsening hardship instead of redefining poverty to suit his administration’s narrative.
“What Nigeria needs now is not cosmetic reform but genuine leadership that puts people first,” the ADC stated.
“Inclusive growth must go beyond slogans. it should be a deliberate strategy. We call on the Tinubu-led APC government to stop mistaking revenue collection for progress and instead focus on food security, job creation, and strong social protection systems to support the millions pushed into vulnerability by its poor economic policies.”
