By Adepetu Oluwagbenga_
Nigeria’s Senator , Dr Jimoh Ibrahim (CFR), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, has reaffirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration will not compromise the nation’s sovereignty in its engagements with global financial institutions.
Speaking at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., Sen. Ibrahim sharply criticized a recent World Bank report which claimed that more than 130 million Nigerians live below the poverty line. He described the assessment as “unbalanced and disconnected from Nigeria’s economic realities.”
Sen. Ibrahim emphasized that the Nigerian government has introduced several social investment and poverty alleviation programs, including conditional cash transfers, microcredit schemes, and youth empowerment initiatives, efforts he said were not adequately reflected in the World Bank’s analysis.
He further pointed out that Nigeria’s current position as the 42nd largest economy in the world underscores the nation’s resilience and growth potential.
According to him, global financial institutions must adopt more inclusive and transparent evaluation frameworks that acknowledge the unique circumstances and developmental pathways of emerging economies.
The senator’s remarks drew attention from both African and international delegates, many of whom supported his call for fairer representation of developing nations in global financial assessments.
As Nigeria continues to navigate post reform challenges, including inflation, exchange rate adjustments, and fiscal realignment, Sen. Ibrahim urged international organizations to collaborate with Nigeria rather than act over it, ensuring that partnerships align with the country’s long term development priorities.