Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, arguing that the government’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy is not translating into improved living conditions for Nigerians.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said, “You cannot build a $1 trillion economy by making your own people poorer. That is not how prosperous nations are built. Nigeria must stop behaving like a loading bay for raw materials.”
Atiku argued that while some macroeconomic indicators have improved, Nigerians continue to face economic hardship and pressure on their purchasing power.
His comments followed the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, which showed that Nigeria’s headline inflation eased slightly to 15.39 per cent in August 2026, from 15.43 per cent in July.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s raw-material exports rose by 106 per cent year-on-year to N3.84 trillion in the first half of 2026, up from N1.86 trillion during the same period in 2025, based on an analysis of NBS foreign trade data.
Atiku criticised the emphasis on exporting raw materials rather than processing them locally, arguing that Nigeria should capture more value from its agricultural and mineral resources before exporting them.
