The National Campaign Council of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has challenged Vice President Kashim Shettima and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to counter the economic statistics presented by its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, with verifiable data rather than personal attacks.
The council accused the government and its supporters of attacking Obi for citing figures on Nigeria’s worsening economic and social conditions instead of addressing the issues raised, insisting that the country’s deteriorating living conditions demand accountability.
In a statement yesterday, the spokesperson of the NDC National Campaign Council, Dr Chiogo Constance Ikokwu, said the government’s response to Obi’s use of statistics was “both troubling and revealing.”
“Instead of confronting the evidence he presents about Nigeria’s worsening economic and social conditions with facts and numbers, the government and its supporters would rather attack the messenger, as well as throwing cheap shots that do not address the real issues,” she said.
The council urged the government to respond to Obi’s criticisms with evidence and allow Nigerians to assess its performance.
It said: “As the 2027 elections approach, the government should answer Peter Obi’s statistics with facts not attacks. And Nigerians must ask a fundamental question: are we better off today than we were before this government took office?
“Are more Nigerians escaping poverty? Are our children receiving better education? Are businesses thriving? Are citizens safer? Are public resources producing better outcomes?”
The council said Nigeria needs leaders that are willing to learn from successful economies, implement practical solutions and submit themselves to public accountability.
“Mr Peter Obi is not asking Nigerians to believe statistics blindly. He is asking them to examine the evidence, compare outcomes and demand better governance,” Ikokwu added.
She said statistics are essential tools for measuring performance and guiding public policy, adding that a government confident in its achievements should welcome scrutiny.
“Statistics are not insults. They are not political weapons. They are tools for measuring progress, exposing failure and guiding public policy. A government that is confident in its performance should welcome scrutiny, not wage war against the numbers,” she said.
To illustrate the economic hardship facing Nigerians, the NDC cited increases in the prices of essential commodities since the APC-led government assumed office in May 2023.
According to the council, petrol, which sold for an average of N238.11 per litre in May 2023, now sells for between N1,300 and N1,435 per litre.
It also said the price of a 50kg bag of rice had risen from between N35,000 and N40,000 in mid-2023 to between N50,000 and N90,000 or more, depending on the brand and the market.
The council further listed the price of cement as having increased from between N4,010 and N5,300 to between N10,500 and N15,000, while bread, which previously sold for between N500 and N700, now costs between N1,200 and N2,000.
It also put the increase in urban house rents in major cities, including Lagos and Abuja, at between 80 and 120 percent.
The NDC challenged the Federal Government to publish credible figures and explain its methodology if it disagreed with Obi’s analysis.
“If the government disagrees with Obi’s figures, let it publish credible data, explain its methodology and demonstrate where his analysis is wrong. You do not defeat statistics by insulting the person who cites them. You defeat them with better statistics,” Ikokwu said.
The campaign council also faulted the government for failing to learn from developing countries that had recorded significant progress in poverty reduction, citing Bangladesh, Vietnam, Rwanda, Morocco and India.
It said Bangladesh, with a population of about 178 million, had lifted approximately 34 million people out of poverty between 2010 and 2022, reducing its extreme poverty rate from 12.2 percent to 5.6 percent.
According to Ikokwu, the achievement was driven by agricultural growth, export-oriented manufacturing, microfinance and non-governmental organisations, social safety nets, as well as investment in human capital and infrastructure.
She argued that Nigeria could learn from the country’s experience rather than allow poverty to deepen.
“The appropriate thing a patriotic and effective government would have done is to humbly and diligently learn to see how Nigeria can also significantly reduce our embarrassing and shameful poverty level,” she said.
The council, however, accused the APC government of being unwilling to learn from other developing economies, alleging that its preoccupation with political control and access to national resources had undermined effective governance.
It cited a poverty rate of about 63 percent and more than 140 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty, arguing that the country’s economic challenges had reversed previous poverty reduction gains.
Ikokwu also referred to a recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, which according to the statement, indicated that previous poverty reduction achievements in Nigeria appeared to have been reversed.
“How can our most endowed nation be the country with the highest increase in the number of people falling into poverty?” she asked.
The NDC spokesperson further declared that in a more organised society, the APC government would have resigned over its handling of the country’s economic and social challenges.
Credit: The Sun