ADC: World Bank report exposes increasing poverty under Tinubu

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says the World Bank’s report showing 139 million Nigerians living in poverty proves President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies have failed.

On Wednesday, the World Bank said Nigeria now faces the urgent challenge of converting macroeconomic stability into welfare gains for its people.

“In 2025, we estimate that 139 million Nigerians live in poverty,” Mathew Verghis, the bank’s country director for Nigeria, said.

“The challenge is clear: how to translate the gains from the reforms into better living standards for all.”

Verghis also commended the government for implementing “bold” reforms that have begun to stabilise the economy, but warned that millions of Nigerians are yet to feel the benefits.

‘POVERTY DEEPENS TO HISTORIC LEVEL’

In a statement on Thursday, Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the ADC, said the report exposes the “wide gap between government rhetoric and the lived reality of Nigerians”.

Abdullahi said while the federal government boasts about meeting revenue targets and improving the economy, “millions of citizens are sliding into destitution at a rate never seen before in Nigeria”.

“The ADC has been studying the October 2025 World Bank Report, which states that 139 million Nigerians now live below the poverty line, up from 81 million in 2019,” the statement reads.

“That figure, representing 61% of the population, is clear evidence that the economic policies of the Tinubu-led APC government have actually sent more Nigerians into abject poverty, contrary to the government’s performance propaganda and claims of progress.

“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.

“In 2019, four out of ten Nigerians were poor. Today, it is, at least, six out of ten.”

The ADC spokesperson said Tinubu’s Independence Day speech has been contradicted by the latest World Bank data.

“Behind President Tinubu’s shiny statistics are grim realities of historic human suffering — families skipping meals, children dropping out of school, and households selling assets just to afford food and basic drugs,” he said.

Abdullahi added that while the government celebrates record revenue and claims of stability, the data show Nigerians “are getting poorer by the day”.

The ADC said the administration is using “creative statistics” to mask failure, arguing that Nigeria’s revised poverty line — pegged at about N137,000 per month or $90 — is far below global benchmarks.

“By setting the bar so low, the government undercounts millions of Nigerians who are poor by international standards,” he added.

“A poverty line that is too low doesn’t protect the poor — it hides them.

“What Nigeria needs is leadership that puts people first and understands that inclusive growth is not a slogan but a national strategy.”

Abdullahi said Nigeria does not need “cosmetic reforms”, but a government that prioritises the welfare of citizens through food security, job creation, and targeted social protection programmes.

The party called on the federal government to “stop celebrating revenue collection as an achievement” and take urgent steps to protect the 139 million citizens “its failed economic policies have pushed into poverty”.