Atiku Abubakar Critiques Nigeria's Economic Recovery Claims

Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, criticized the Nigerian government's assertions of economic recovery, stating they contradict the deteriorating living conditions and the declining state of the manufacturing sector. In a statement released on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku claimed the presidency relied on "propaganda" and misleading macroeconomic statistics.

He noted that 767 manufacturing companies had shut down, with another 335 in severe distress, while manufacturers held ₦2.14tn in unsold goods due to collapsing consumer purchasing power. He pointed out that major multinational companies, including Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline, had exited local manufacturing or ceased production in Nigeria.

Atiku also criticized the government's continued borrowing despite claims of improved revenues and questioned the effectiveness of fiscal reforms in addressing widespread poverty and food insecurity.