Nigeria’s opposition parties have sharply criticized the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration after a World Bank report stated that approximately 139 million Nigerians now live in poverty, rejecting the government’s dismissal of the figure and accusing it of economic failure.
The report, which defines poverty as living on less than 2.15 per day, places more than half of Nigeria’s population below the international poverty line. The federal government has rejected the figure as “unrealistic,” but opposition leaders say the data accurately reflects the country’s worsening economic conditions.
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, said the report exposes the failure of the government’s economic policies. He claimed that over 50 million Nigerians have slipped into poverty within two years of the Tinubu administration.
“Nigerians are paying the price for policies that look good on paper but are destroying lives in reality,” Obi said. He called on the government to stop celebrating what he described as “paper progress” and focus on addressing human suffering.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also criticized the administration. Party spokesman Debo Ologunagba accused the government of a “lack of empathy” and warned that rising costs of food, fuel, and transportation risk triggering social unrest if left unaddressed.
The opposition’s position contrasts with that of the government. Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, described the World Bank figure as “misleading” and said it failed to account for Nigeria’s informal sector. He cited the administration’s social investment programmes, agricultural support, and student loan schemes as evidence of efforts to reduce poverty.
However, Mathew Verghis, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, said that while the administration has made bold macroeconomic reforms — including fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification — the benefits have not yet reached ordinary citizens.
Economist Folarin Adeyemi of the University of Lagos described the situation as “growth without welfare,” stating that economic progress is meaningless if citizens cannot afford basic necessities.
The World Bank report has intensified political debate over the administration’s economic reforms, which the government insists are necessary for long-term recovery but which opposition parties say are deepening poverty.
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