You Can’t Build a $1tn Economy by Impoverishing Nigerians, Atiku Tells Tinubu
. Atiku Abubakar
By The Analyst Editorial Desk
Nigeria’s trillion-dollar economic ambition is facing a fundamental test: can a country realistically build a $1 trillion economy while millions of its citizens struggle to cope with the rising cost of food, transportation, housing and other basic necessities?
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says the answer is no.
Atiku has warned President Bola Tinubu that economic reforms and ambitious growth targets cannot be considered successful if their immediate and sustained effect is to erode the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians.
His intervention puts the human cost of Nigeria’s economic transformation at the centre of a debate that has largely been dominated by macroeconomic indicators, investment projections and government revenue figures.
The former vice president argued that the ultimate measure of an economy should not simply be the size of its Gross Domestic Product or the achievement of headline financial targets, but whether ordinary citizens have greater opportunities, stronger incomes and improved living standards.
Atiku’s position comes against the backdrop of some of the most consequential economic reforms implemented by the Tinubu administration, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and reforms to the foreign-exchange regime.
The Federal Government has defended the policies as difficult but necessary measures designed to correct longstanding structural weaknesses, attract investment, improve government finances and lay the foundation for sustainable economic growth.
But the reforms have also triggered intense public debate over their social consequences, particularly the pressure on household budgets and the ability of businesses and workers to absorb higher operating and living costs.
Atiku maintained that government must therefore pursue growth alongside policies that protect vulnerable Nigerians, expand employment, strengthen domestic production and increase citizens’ productive capacity.
He also called for greater accountability in the deployment of public resources, stressing that government expenditure should produce measurable improvements in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, security and job creation.
The former vice president’s argument raises a broader question about the definition of economic progress in Nigeria: is a larger economy sufficient if the average Nigerian becomes poorer in real terms?
That question is likely to become increasingly prominent as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections, with competing political camps expected to present sharply different assessments of the Tinubu administration’s economic record.
While the administration continues to project its reforms as the foundation for a stronger and more prosperous Nigerian economy, Atiku is challenging the government to demonstrate that the promised transformation is reaching beyond economic statistics and into the homes, businesses and livelihoods of ordinary citizens.
For now, Nigeria’s $1 trillion ambition remains a powerful economic target. But the political and economic argument surrounding it is becoming increasingly clear: growth will ultimately be judged not only by how large the Nigerian economy becomes, but by how Nigerians themselves fare along the way.