By Charles Pemu 
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, has delivered a provocative political message, insisting that Nigerians are fundamentally “better off today” than they were at independence in 1960, despite the grinding current economic hardship.
Speaking on national television, Fasua sharply rebuked critics comparing today’s Nigeria to the post-independence era, labeling such comparisons as “misleading.” He argued that the perception of poverty only emerged when people began migrating from infrastructure-deprived villages to urban centers after 1960, creating “a kind of urban poverty.”
The Economic Adviser used the platform to politically defend the administration’s controversial decision to prioritize structural reforms over immediate palliatives.
“The current administration is saying that, look, we are not going to really be sharing money, we want to do something that takes us on a different trajectory… that prepares even our children and unborn children for a better life,” Fasua stated, underscoring the political philosophy that rejects “cash giveaways.”
Challenging Poverty Data
In a direct challenge to previous data that fuelled political debate on poverty, Fasua dismissed the widely-cited 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Report which estimated 133 million poor Nigerians as “outdated.”
He instead pointed to figures from the World Poverty Clock to claim that the administration’s current efforts, including infrastructure projects, have already lifted between five and six million Nigerians out of poverty. He claimed that if the index were redone today, “perhaps 10 to 20 million people have been taken out of poverty” a figure intended to bolster the administration’s economic narrative amid public anger over rising costs.
Fasua concluded with an optimistic projection, noting that inflation has dropped from a peak of 34 percent to 24 percent, signaling that the administration’s tough reforms are successfully steering the nation toward stability