Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has dismissed the presidency’s defence of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, saying no amount of propaganda can conceal the hardship facing millions of Nigerians. The statement comes amid an escalating war of words between the presidency and Atiku over the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, borrowing, tax policies and the impact of the removal of the petrol subsidy. Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, recently defended the administration’s economic policies, saying the most visible benefit of the subsidy removal was the sharp increase in allocations to states and local governments through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). ‘WHY ARE NIGERIANS GETTING POORER’ However, in a statement issued on Monday by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of relying on “statistical manipulation” and public relations rather than addressing the country’s worsening economic realities. The former vice-president said the central question confronting the administration remained unanswered. “If the economy is doing so well, why are Nigerians getting poorer?” he asked. Atiku said while the presidency continued to highlight improvements in macroeconomic indicators, ordinary Nigerians were grappling with rising poverty, inflation and declining purchasing power. “The State House celebrates macroeconomic indicators while ordinary Nigerians struggle with microeconomic realities,” he said. “It speaks glowingly about GDP growth while families skip meals. It boasts of debt ratios while businesses shut their doors. It trumpets reforms while millions of citizens slide deeper into poverty.” He argued that governments should be judged by the quality of life of their citizens rather than economic statistics. “Governments are not elected to improve spreadsheets. They are elected to improve the lives of their people,” he said. “Nigerians cannot eat GDP. They cannot cook with debt-to-GDP ratios. They cannot pay school fees with statistical projections.” Atiku rejected the presidency’s argument that critics were relying on outdated data, saying Nigerians continued to experience the effects of the administration’s economic policies. “The Tinubu administration is asking Nigerians to forget the very policies whose consequences they continue to endure every day,” he said. “Economic policy is not a light switch. The consequences of reckless decisions linger long after the announcements have faded.” The former vice-president also questioned the government’s continued borrowing despite claims of improved revenue generation and higher tax collections. “If revenue has improved so dramatically, if subsidy has been removed, if tax collection has increased, and if debt servicing has supposedly become more manageable, why does this administration continue to borrow at record levels?” he asked. He said Nigerians were yet to benefit from the removal of the fuel subsidy, arguing that the policy had instead worsened living conditions. “Three years later, Nigerians are entitled to ask: where are those dividends?” he said. “Instead of relief, they have experienced the highest fuel prices in history, unprecedented transport costs, soaring food inflation, collapsing purchasing power and an economy where millions now struggle to afford even one decent meal a day.” Atiku also criticised the administration’s tax reforms, saying businesses are already struggling under rising production and operating costs. He added that the government should be assessed on its ability to improve education, healthcare and living standards rather than the number of initiatives it announced. Citing figures from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Atiku said 767 manufacturing firms had shut down, while another 335 are operating under distress. He added that manufacturers are holding about N2.14 trillion worth of unsold finished goods, while multinational companies, including Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi and Kimberly-Clark, have exited local manufacturing operations. According to him, the closure of factories and the exit of manufacturers were a better reflection of the country’s economic health than official pronouncements. “The true verdict on this administration’s economic policies is not written by government spokespersons,” he said. “It is written in the silent factories, the abandoned production lines, the shuttered warehouses, the unemployed workers and the empty pockets of millions of Nigerians. No amount of propaganda can erase that reality.” Atiku urged the presidency to prioritise improving the welfare of Nigerians instead of defending its economic record through public statements. “Governments are not judged by the elegance of their press statements or the sophistication of their economic theories,” he said. “They are judged by whether families can afford food, whether businesses can survive, whether young people can find jobs, whether communities are secure, and whether citizens have hope for tomorrow.”