Unrealistic Poverty Figures: Presidency Disputes World Bank Estimate
The Presidency has disputed the World Bank’s estimate that 139 million Nigerians live in poverty, describing the figure as “unrealistic” and detached from the country’s economic realities. President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said the figure must be “properly contextualised” within the limits of global poverty measurement models.
According to Dare, the World Bank’s estimate is based on the global poverty line of $2.15 per person per day, set in 2017 using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). When converted to nominal terms, this figure equals about N100,000 per month at current exchange rates, which is well above Nigeria’s new minimum wage of N70,000. The Presidency argues that this benchmark is an analytical construct, not a direct reflection of local income realities.
The Presidency also pointed out that poverty estimates under the PPP methodology rely on historical consumption data, often overlooking the vast informal and subsistence economies that sustain millions of Nigerian households. The government considers the World Bank’s estimate as “a modelled global projection, not an empirical representation of living conditions in 2025.”
Instead, the Presidency emphasized the direction of change, noting that Nigeria’s economy is now on a recovery and reform trajectory, driven by policies designed to ensure inclusive growth and social protection. The government has expanded several welfare and intervention programs aimed at cushioning the impact of recent reforms, while laying the groundwork for long-term prosperity.
Some of the initiatives highlighted by the Presidency include Conditional Cash Transfers, Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, National Social Investment Programmes, Food Security Initiatives, and Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund. These programs aim to protect jobs, encourage small enterprise, and keep children in school, among other objectives.
The Presidency has maintained that the Tinubu administration is tackling Nigeria’s poverty challenge by addressing the structural distortions that have constrained productivity and inclusive growth for decades. They emphasized that economic recovery alone is not enough unless it translates into real welfare gains for ordinary Nigerians.
The Presidency assured Nigerians that they should begin to feel more visible improvements in food prices, income, and purchasing power as these programs mature. The administration is consolidating its social protection architecture by integrating all welfare programs under a unified, data-driven framework to enhance transparency and accountability.
