The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, describing them as “heartless” and harmful to Nigerians already grappling with severe hardship.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, ADC National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration of blindly implementing economic prescriptions from international financial institutions, particularly the Bretton Woods organisations, without considering the realities of Nigerians.
“The present administration’s reforms are heartless. They are simply prescriptions from Bretton Woods institutions that do not consider the reality of Nigerian lives,” Rufai said.
He stated that unlike the APC, the ADC would pursue an “organic and original” economic policy rooted in the well-being of ordinary citizens. The party’s economic blueprint, he said, would be built on four key pillars: consistency, ownership, purpose, and strategy.
Rufai also condemned the government’s aggressive tax measures, claiming they further deepen poverty and ignore the economic strain on average citizens.
On the ADC’s political ambitions, Rufai hinted at growing support for the party, suggesting that top political figures like Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar are warming up to the party’s platform.
Meanwhile, award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has also raised alarm over the worsening economic situation, saying the hardship has driven many once-comfortable Nigerians into poverty.
Speaking on Channels Television’s programme Amazing Africans, Adichie said: “Life has become so hard in Nigeria, and I can see it. People who were once securely middle class are now begging. That worries me greatly.”
She expressed concern over the skyrocketing cost of living, especially food, and insisted that a government’s true performance should be judged by how it affects the lives of everyday people.
“People talk about the stock market. Personally, I don’t really care about those sorts of things. What I care about is: that person earning minimum wage, how is that person getting on in this economy?” she said.
Adichie warned that if the suffering continues, more citizens might be pushed into crime out of desperation. “It’s not to excuse crime, but I think when life gets very hard, even people who before would not have considered certain things suddenly are willing to, and that’s dangerous to society,” she cautioned.
