Opposition party blasts government for boasting about economic expansion, insists citizens continue to struggle.

The African Democratic Congress has come out strongly against the Federal Government's decision to celebrate Nigeria's purported Gross Domestic Product growth, citing the vast disconnect between the economic figures and the everyday struggles of ordinary Nigerians.

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In a statement released on Wednesday, the party's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the government of attempting to gloss over the widespread economic hardship faced by Nigerians by touting headline GDP figures.

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The ADC argued that the rising costs of food, inflation, dwindling purchasing power, unemployment, and the collapse of small businesses all point to the fact that many citizens have yet to benefit from the reported economic growth.

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The party succinctly summed up its stance, saying "People do not eat GDP," and emphasizing that economic growth is only meaningful when it leads to improved living conditions, job creation, and a reduction in hardship.

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The ADC further stated that economic growth that fails to alleviate suffering, create jobs, increase incomes, or restore dignity to citizens is essentially empty growth, and that growth which only exists on paper while citizens struggle to make ends meet is not progress.

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The party criticized the government for prioritizing economic statistics over the harsh realities faced by Nigerians in their daily lives, from markets and farms to factories and homes.

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It highlighted the unbearable food prices, punitive transportation costs, and the daily shutdown of small businesses under the weight of inflation, energy costs, and weak consumer demand, noting that salaries have lost value and families are struggling to survive.

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The ADC questioned what exactly Nigerians have to celebrate, given the worsening economic conditions, asking whether it is the devastating food inflation, the high unemployment rates among young Nigerians, or the rapid collapse of businesses.

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A report by Quartus Economics had shown that Nigeria's dollar GDP rose by 22 per cent to about $307bn in 2025, driven by stronger economic output and an appreciation of the naira, with the country's GDP increasing from about $252bn in 2024 to $307.5bn in 2025.

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Nominal GDP also rose from N372.8tn to N441.5tn within the same period, with Nigeria's performance surpassing the Sub-Saharan African average and outpacing several major African economies, including South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Angola, with only Ghana recording stronger growth.

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The ADC, however, maintained that macroeconomic indicators alone cannot be used to measure the wellbeing of citizens, stating that the purpose of governance is not to manage public relations for economic statistics, but to improve the living conditions of the people.

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The party insisted that until economic growth translates into tangible benefits such as affordable food, stable electricity, decent jobs, lower business costs, and improved purchasing power, the government has no basis to declare economic success.

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The statement comes amid ongoing debates over the impact of the Federal Government's economic reforms, including subsidy removal and exchange rate adjustments, which officials say are necessary for long-term recovery but have also triggered sharp increases in living costs across the country.