Tinubu Never Set Deadline To End Poverty

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has clarified that President Bola Tinubu never promised to eradicate poverty within a specific timeframe, arguing that Nigeria’s economic challenges developed over several decades and cannot be resolved overnight.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, made the clarification on Monday, October 26, while defending Tinubu’s remarks on poverty and hunger during his administration’s campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general election.

Morka said the President had acknowledged the hardship Nigerians were experiencing but maintained that the government’s economic reforms were intended to address longstanding structural weaknesses in the economy.

According to him, Tinubu did not promise to eliminate poverty within a year or two weeks, stressing that the government had never claimed to possess a quick solution to the country’s economic problems.

“We didn’t tell you we had a magic wand to correct Nigeria’s generational problems in one day or in two weeks or in one year,” Morka said.

He argued that successive administrations, particularly those led by the Peoples Democratic Party between 1999 and 2015, failed to resolve the structural problems contributing to poverty and economic hardship.

Morka said the current administration should be assessed against the broader economic challenges it inherited, as well as the results of its policies over time.

He acknowledged that the removal of petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange system had weakened household purchasing power and contributed to the rising cost of living. However, he maintained that the measures were necessary to address economic distortions and improve public finances.

The APC spokesperson also cited countries such as China, Malaysia and Singapore, arguing that their economic transformations required sustained policy implementation rather than immediate results.

His comments followed Tinubu’s October 24 campaign rally in Kaduna, where the President blamed opposition politicians for the hunger and poverty confronting Nigerians and said his administration was working to eradicate both.

In his October 1 Independence Day address, Tinubu had also said poverty reduction would require discipline, sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities.

The President stated that his administration could not erase in four years challenges accumulated over generations, but pledged to change the country’s economic direction.

Nigeria continues to face concerns over food affordability, transportation costs, unemployment and household purchasing power. World Bank estimates cited in recent reports indicate that poverty remains widespread across the country.

The APC said the government would continue implementing economic reforms and social intervention programmes to improve living conditions, while insisting that meaningful poverty reduction requires time and sustained effort.