By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The United States Embassy in Nigeria has condemned the West African nation for “splurging” billions in construction and rehabilitation of government buildings while the masses groan under the heavy weight of economic challenges.
Rights activists had condemned the recent renovation of International Conference Centre in the nation’s capital Abuja by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike with a whopping N39 billion ($25.4m).
Wike who has since renamed the conference centre after President Bola Tinubu, defended the amount splashed on the rehabilitation project, stating that although ₦240m was spent on building the conference centre in 1991 during the military regime of former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, a lot has changed in the prices of commodities, hence the sum of ₦39bn spent on the renovation.
The economic downturn was exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidy by the Nigerian government in 2023 and exchange rate unification which led to a significant increase in fuel prices, from N145 to over N1,000 and later to about N900, while the naira has collapsed from about N700 to a dollar to over N1,500 to a dollar.
Since assumption of office in 2023, the President has also spent N20 billion on building a residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima and acquiring a new presidential jet.
This comes as many Nigerians continue to grapple with the effects of his economic policies. But, he has continued to urge citizens to endure the hardship.
The US Embassy while referencing an online report accused “some” governors of investing billions of in erecting Government houses.
The report accused Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of spending a substantial sum renovating the Government House last year. The opposition claims at least N10b, the report says.
In a post on Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, the embassy remarked that Nigerians endure economic hardship “like labor pains”, in reference to raft of inflation and depreciation of the local currency naira, exacerbate by the removal of subsidy on petrol.
“While Nigerians are urged to endure economic hardship ‘like labour pains,’ some governors are splurging billions on new government houses,” the U.S. government stated, amplifying the report by TheAfricaReport.
With inflation at 23.7 per cent, a drop from 34 per cent after rebasing the economy, under Tinubu, Nigeria recorded the largest increase in acute food insecurity globally in 2024, according to the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises published by the Global Network Against Food Crises in collaboration with the Food Security Information Network and UNICEF.
The International Monetary Fund reported that poverty and food insecurity remained high under Mr Tinubu, while the World Bank’s Africa Pulse report of April 2025 also stated that Nigeria, under Mr Tinubu, has the highest number of extremely poor people globally, warning that more Nigerians will be plunged into poverty by 2027.
