A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Ladan Salihu, has said Nigeria’s worsening poverty, unemployment and cost-of-living crisis reflect a failure of governance under the All Progressives Congress, insisting that recent economic reforms have made life more unbearable for ordinary citizens.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Tuesday, Salihu said claims of economic progress by the Tinubu administration were disconnected from the realities Nigerians face daily.
“When I was invited to this programme, I told myself I would be facing alibis and innuendos used to mask the chronological failure of a system,” he said. “These figures are not manufactured. They are statistics released by the World Bank and Nigeria’s Bureau of Statistics.”
Salihu rejected arguments that Nigeria’s current crisis predates the APC, stressing that poverty levels have worsened significantly over the past decade.
“In 2014, multidimensional poverty in Nigeria stood at about 43 per cent,” he said. “By 2019, it had skyrocketed. Today, we are talking about 141 million Nigerians living in poverty. That is not 139 million — it is 141 million.”
According to him, a responsible government should confront these figures honestly rather than offer excuses.
“A government that is responsive and responsible should speak to these issues head-on,” Salihu said. “This is our country. These numbers represent real people.”
He argued that the administration’s reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, have inflicted severe hardship without adequate mitigation measures.
“These reforms have become too excruciating,” he said. “They are degrading the essence of life and livelihood in Nigeria.”
Salihu cited rising transportation costs as evidence of how policies have affected ordinary Nigerians.
“In 2014 or 2015, ₦1,500 could take you from Kano to Abuja,” he said. “Today, it costs between ₦13,000 and ₦15,000. That is the real impact of subsidy removal on the common man.”
He criticised what he described as an overreliance on macroeconomic statistics that fail to translate into improved living standards.
“Macroeconomic gains and statistics must speak to real-time gaps between income and basic sustenance,” Salihu said. “If people are not finding it easier to live, then you can keep telling stories of figures and grammar.”
Salihu also questioned the government’s handling of public finances, referencing reports on spending by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
“In 2025 alone, an audit report showed that ₦17 trillion was spent by a single parastatal,” he said. “Out of that, ₦8.6 trillion went into covering price gaps. That tells Nigerians that subsidy is still being paid under the table.”
He warned that governance should focus on using national resources for the benefit of citizens rather than deflecting responsibility.
“What should concern us as a nation is how funds available to the state are used for the greater good of the people,” Salihu said. “You cannot hide under the excuse of reforms while Nigerians are languishing in poverty.”
Salihu also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s frequent foreign travels, arguing that leadership presence matters during national crises.
“You have a president who is abroad when dozens of Nigerians are being killed,” he said. “Global standards of governance demand that leaders cut short trips and return home to address crises.”
He concluded that Nigerians could not be expected to endure prolonged hardship in the hope of future gains.
“In two years, a government should make an impression,” Salihu said. “Nigerians cannot keep dying in poverty while being told to wait for reforms to work.”
Boluwatife Enome
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