ADC faults Tinubu “cherry-picking” Okonjo-Iweala’s statement, tells him to heed her call for economic growth, job creation, social safety nets
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Bola Tinubu’s latest attempt at seeking validation ignored aspects of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s recent assessment of the Nigerian economy, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alerted, accusing the President of “cherry-picking” her remarks for propaganda and political gain.
ADC berated the Tinubu camp for celebrating Okonjo-Iweala’s acknowledgment of economic “stabilisation” while silent on her call for measures to grow the economy, create jobs, and provide social safety nets for millions of struggling Nigerians.
A statement issued by interim ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the selective celebration of the comments of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General shows Tinubu’s search for validation rather than a resolve to tackle economic challenges.
Abdullahi insisted that “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.
“What she’s really saying, which the government has chosen to ignore, is 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.”
ADC cited data to support its argument, noting that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in Q1 2025 was 3.13 per cent and barely above 3 per cent in Q2, figures it said fall short of the robust recovery Tinubu promised in the 2023 campaign.
It narrated how inflation stood at 22.22 per cent in June 2025, with food inflation at 21.97 per cent, while petrol sold for an average N1,037.66 per litre, and naira traded at about N1,530 to the dollar.
“It is the Tinubu administration’s policy choices; fuel subsidy removal, naira devaluation, tariff hikes on electricity and transport, that have triggered this distress and made social safety nets not optional but essential. Yet these programs have either been administered haphazardly, suspended, or had negligible impact.”
ADC referred to Okonjo-Iweala’s social media clarification, stressing the need for urgent growth and job creation to ease hardship where she said, “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.”
Celebrating superficial stability risks distracting from the need for urgent action, ADC warned.
“Every well-meaning Nigerian knows that celebrating the mere appearance of ‘stability’ is pyrrhic.
“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.”
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