Atiku slams Tinubu over ‘60% Nigerians living below poverty line’ W’Bank report

The former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has slammed the President Bola Tinubu-led administration over the recent World Bank report stating that 60 per cent of Nigerians are living below the poverty line.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) leader said the World Bank is a confirmation that, notwithstanding what millions of Nigerians are already experiencing daily, poverty is on the rise.

In a statement issued on Friday by Phrank Shaibu, Atiku added that the report is also a regression on a monumental scale and an implosion is neither accidental nor unavoidable.

“It is the direct outcome of poorly conceived and harshly implemented policies, from the abrupt removal of fuel subsidies to the chaotic devaluation of the naira, all executed without adequate safeguards for the Nigerian people.

“The consequences of these trial-and-error policies are visible everywhere: food prices have spiralled out of control, inflation has wiped out incomes, small businesses are collapsing, and millions more Nigerians are being pushed into extreme poverty.

“While the Tinubu administration points to abstract macroeconomic indicators, Nigerians are living a far harsher reality—one defined by hunger, uncertainty, and a daily struggle for survival. This is not reform. It is economic shock therapy imposed on a vulnerable population,” Atiku said.

He warned that a government that blames others while failing to shield its citizens from the global shocks only ends up exposing its own incompetence.

“A government that presides over a situation where the majority of its people are poor, yet insists that progress is being made, has lost both moral authority and economic direction,” he added.

Atiku further explained that such an approach would aim to rebuild productivity through support for small businesses, agriculture, and industry, while ensuring coordination in fiscal and monetary policy to stabilise the economy and restore confidence.

“The ADC chieftain’s position is straightforward: economic reform must improve lives, not punish them.”

“Leadership is not about defending failure – it is about correcting it. The evidence is already clear in the lives of Nigerians.

“The choice before the nation is stark: continue on a trajectory of deepening hardship, or embrace leadership that is committed to restoring dignity, stability, and shared prosperity. Nigeria deserves better,” Atiku said.