By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has faulted the recent assessment by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Nigeria’s economic reforms are yielding positive results, arguing that such a conclusion contradicts the worsening living conditions of millions of citizens.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA said it was illogical to describe economic reforms as successful when more than 60 per cent of Nigerians are reportedly living in poverty.

“The essence of any economic reform is to improve the welfare of the people,” the group stated, arguing that economic policies should create jobs, improve living standards, reduce poverty, increase purchasing power and provide economic security for citizens.

According to HURIWA, the IMF’s acknowledgement that more than 63 per cent of Nigerians live in poverty, while millions face food insecurity amid persistent inflation, undermines the claim that current reforms are working.

“If economic reforms are genuinely working, how can the primary outcome be that a majority of citizens are becoming poorer, hungrier, and increasingly unable to meet their basic needs?” the group asked.

The rights organisation maintained that economic policies should not be judged solely by macroeconomic indicators or fiscal statistics but by their impact on the everyday lives of citizens.

“What exactly is the definition of successful reform if the ordinary Nigerian cannot afford food, transportation, healthcare, education, or shelter?” HURIWA queried, adding that “by every practical measure known to citizens, what is currently being experienced is not economic reform but economic deformity.”

While acknowledging that governments sometimes adopt difficult policy measures to address structural economic challenges, HURIWA argued that reforms that produce widespread hardship without adequate social protection mechanisms cannot be considered successful.

The group further accused the IMF of prioritising economic statistics above human realities.

“The IMF’s position appears to prioritize macroeconomic statistics over human realities,” the statement said. “Economic growth figures and improved fiscal balances mean little to families struggling daily to survive.”

HURIWA urged both the IMF and the Federal Government to place greater emphasis on poverty reduction, food security, job creation, support for small businesses and stronger social protection programmes.

“We therefore urge both the IMF and the Federal Government to stop measuring economic progress exclusively through technical indicators while ignoring the devastating social consequences of current policies,” the group stated.

The organisation insisted that the true measure of economic reform lies in its ability to improve citizens’ quality of life, warning that policies which leave the majority poorer than before require urgent reassessment.

“History will judge economic policies not by the praise they receive from international institutions but by the quality of life they provide for the people,” HURIWA added.