The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the latest World Bank report showing that 139 million Nigerians—about 60 per cent of the country's population—now live below the national poverty line as a damning verdict on the economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration.

Reacting to the report, the party said the alarming poverty figures were the predictable outcome of policies that, in its view, have prioritised macroeconomic indicators over the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.

According to the ADC, the Federal Government's repeated celebration of economic growth, rising revenues and increasing foreign reserves means little when millions of Nigerians continue to struggle with worsening poverty, hunger and declining living standards.

The party maintained that it had consistently warned that economic reforms cannot be judged solely by statistical improvements but by their impact on the daily lives of citizens.

Rather than reviewing its approach, the ADC argued, the Tinubu administration has remained committed to policies that have deepened hardship while presenting them as necessary sacrifices for long-term prosperity.

Citing the World Bank's findings, the party said that with 139 million Nigerians living in poverty and an estimated 17 million facing the risk of starvation, the administration's economic record has become impossible to defend.

The ADC argued that these figures represent the true measure of the government's performance and contended that they should prompt serious reflection at the highest levels of government. According to the party, President Tinubu should be considering resignation instead of pursuing another term in office.

The opposition party further stated that Nigeria needs a government that places people at the centre of economic decision-making. It said the true test of any economic policy is not the size of government revenues or foreign reserves but whether citizens can afford food, earn decent incomes and live with dignity.

The ADC also criticised what it described as the Federal Government's growing dependence on palliative programmes and temporary relief measures, arguing that such interventions cannot substitute for comprehensive economic reforms.

According to the party, poverty cannot be defeated through emergency interventions alone but through policies that expand productive opportunities, strengthen food security and create sustainable livelihoods.

As an alternative, the ADC outlined what it described as a comprehensive strategy to tackle hunger and poverty through structural reforms.

The party said an ADC-led government would prioritise securing farming communities and agricultural corridors to enable farmers to return safely to their land, cultivate throughout the farming season and transport produce to markets without fear. It argued that food security cannot be achieved while insecurity continues to displace farmers and disrupt agricultural production.

The party also pledged to significantly increase domestic food production by rehabilitating Nigeria's 264 abandoned dams to expand irrigation, improving farmers' access to quality seeds, fertilisers and extension services, and investing in storage, preservation and agro-processing facilities to reduce post-harvest losses.

Beyond agricultural production, the ADC proposed building an integrated national food economy through regional agricultural production belts. Under the proposal, neighbouring states would coordinate production, processing, storage, transportation and market access based on their comparative advantages, with the objective of lowering food prices, reducing waste and creating employment across the agricultural value chain.

The party further pledged to make investments in nutrition, primary healthcare, quality basic education and skills development central to its economic agenda, arguing that hunger, poverty, education and healthcare are interconnected challenges that must be addressed together to achieve sustainable national development.

The ADC concluded that Nigeria's economic debate is no longer about competing theories or policy models but about choosing between an economy that delivers impressive government statistics and one that delivers meaningful improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

According to the party, hunger remains the most credible measure of economic performance because it reflects the lived realities of citizens. It maintained that until poverty declines, fewer Nigerians go to bed hungry and families can once again afford three decent meals a day, official claims of economic success will continue to ring hollow for millions across the country.