Presidency Fires Back At Critics, Highlights Nigeria GDP Rise

The Presidency has defended the economic performance of the Tinubu administration, citing Nigeria’s position among Africa’s largest economies by purchasing power parity (PPP).

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, reacted to criticism from opposition figures, saying claims that Nigeria had not made progress since 2023 were false.

In a post on X, Onanuga wrote: “See where our country is on the African GDP-PPP scale. Yet some opposition politicians will tell their gullible followers that our country has not made progress since 2023.”

He shared an infographic ranking Africa’s largest economies by GDP-PPP, which placed Egypt first at $2.53 trillion and Nigeria second at $2.39 trillion. South Africa was listed third with $1.06 trillion, followed by Algeria at $915.8 billion. Ethiopia ranked fifth with $530.8 billion, Morocco sixth with $457.5 billion, while Kenya was seventh with $430.3 billion.

The statement comes amid ongoing political exchanges over the state of the economy and the impact of reforms introduced since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023.

Opposition politicians have criticised the Tinubu administration over inflation and rising living costs, while government officials have repeatedly argued that reforms were necessary to strengthen the economy in the long term.