“People Do Not Eat GDP”: ADC Slams Federal Government Over Economic Growth Claims

ABUJA, Nigeria— The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed the Federal Government’s celebration of Nigeria’s reported GDP growth as out of touch with the daily struggles of ordinary citizens, saying economic progress is meaningless if it does not improve living standards.

In a press statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party argued that “people do not eat GDP,” insisting that growth only matters when it translates to lower food prices, job creation, stronger purchasing power, and better living conditions.

The ADC said millions of Nigerians remain trapped in hunger, inflation, unemployment, and rising business costs despite government claims of economic progress. “Growth that only exists in official reports while citizens descend deeper into hardship is not meaningful progress,” the statement read. “It is economic abstraction disconnected from human reality.”

The party criticized the administration for focusing on statistics while households grapple with unbearable food prices, punitive transportation costs, and shrinking incomes. It noted that small businesses are shutting down under the weight of inflation, energy costs, and weak consumer demand, while salaries continue to lose value.

“Yet this government wants Nigerians to applaud GDP growth figures,” the ADC said, questioning what citizens should celebrate when food inflation continues to devastate households and millions of young Nigerians remain unemployed or underemployed.

The ADC urged the government to show humility, acknowledge the economic pain Nigerians are facing, and prioritize policies that deliver measurable improvements in living conditions. “The true test of economic policy is simple: Can Nigerians live better today than they did yesterday? For millions of Nigerians, the answer is no,” the party stated.

It added that Nigeria needs an economy that works for ordinary people, not one that only appears impressive in presentations to investors and international institutions. Until growth is felt in homes through affordable food, stable electricity, decent jobs, and lower business costs, the government has no moral basis to declare economic success, the ADC said.