₦airaland Forum

OBIDIENTNAIJA:
We can't continue like this. This is not life at all.. it must change. We have to change it.

protest has started yesterday

Is fuel subsidy removal the best or worst decision in Nigeria's history?
On May 29, 2023, with five words "subsidy is gone" President Bola Tinubu changed the daily reality of every Nigerian. Fuel prices tripled overnight. Transport fares doubled. Food prices followed. And millions of Nigerians who were already struggling found themselves in a depth of hardship they had never known before.

Supporters of the removal called it brave. Necessary. Long overdue. And on paper, they have a point. Nigeria was spending trillions of naira every year maintaining artificially cheap fuel, money that economists and international bodies argued was being swallowed by a cabal of oil marketers, government officials, and phantom importers. The subsidy, they said, was not helping the poor. It was enriching the powerful.

I build websites, you can reach out to me via whatsapp 08109733031
But here is what happened in reality.
The Nigerian government removed the subsidy without building any safety net strong enough to catch the fall. No functional public transport system. No mass transit rail connecting cities. No serious cash transfer that reached ordinary people in time. Just removal, and silence, while the cost of living set the country on fire.

The people who felt it most were not the rich. The rich have cars with full tanks and generators with full fuel. The people who felt it were the okada rider who now spends half his income on fuel. The civil servant trekking to work. The mother choosing between feeding her children and paying school fees.

A policy is not judged only by its intention. It is judged by its execution and its timing.

Perhaps subsidy removal was always going to be inevitable. Perhaps Nigeria truly could not sustain it forever. But doing it on day one of an administration, with no cushion, no infrastructure alternative, and no honest communication with the public, was either an act of reckless courage or breathtaking insensitivity depending on where you stand.

The question is not just whether subsidy removal was right or wrong in theory. The question is whether this government had earned the trust, built the structures, and prepared the people enough to absorb the shock.

Three years later, that answer still feels like an open wound.

So tell me honestly, was this the bitter medicine Nigeria needed, or did we just hand the poor a bill they never ran up?

Is Nigeria's problem leadership or the Nigerian people themselves?
Every four years, Nigerians gather at the polls full of hope. New faces, new promises, new slogans. And every four years, the same story repeats itself - poverty deepens, infrastructure collapses, and the dream of a better Nigeria gets pushed another decade forward.

I build websites, you can reach out to me via whatsapp 08109733031
So we ask the same tired question: who is to blame?
The easy answer is leadership. And there is truth in it. Leaders who loot billions while teachers go unpaid. Governors who travel abroad for medical care while public hospitals lack basic drugs. A political class so disconnected from suffering that they debate allowances while citizens eat one meal a day.

But here is the uncomfortable question nobody wants to answer:

Who elects these leaders?
Who collects N5,000 on election morning and sells their future for a bag of rice? Who protects a corrupt politician because he is "our son from our tribe"? Who applauds stealing as "smartness" and calls a looting governor a "big man"? Who burns down a neighbour's shop but cannot hold a senator accountable?

The truth is this Nigeria has a leadership problem because it first has a followership problem.

A corrupt tree does not fall from the top. It rots from the roots.

Until Nigerians stop celebrating wealth without questioning its source, stop voting along ethnic lines, and stop treating public office as a meal ticket rather than a responsibility no election, no restructuring, and no oil boom will save this country.

The leaders we have are a mirror. And mirrors do not lie.

So I ask you directly: are we victims of bad leadership, or architects of our own suffering?

Drop your argument below. Let's have this conversation honestly.

GOOOGLE504:
Is this a real story or an ad.

It is a real story

EmperorIsaac:
Wishing all Nairalanders a joyful and peaceful Easter celebration! May this season of renewal bring happiness to your homes, success to your endeavors, and hope for brighter days ahead. Whether you're celebrating with family, friends, or taking time to rest, may your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Happy Easter to you all! 🎉🐰

I wish pinged that you tried to reach me, this is my WhatsApp 08109733031

BilloraNG:
the economy situation in Nigeria now is something else

it is entirely over the bar

marlow1962:
Tribalism and Being told the honest truth are Nigerians biggest problem and na why them no dy move forward.

Watch as person go vex now insult me.

only God can help us in this country.

Badb0y4lyf:
You didn’t even add Nepa Bill, hospital bill i can’t even afford to fall sick lol Cloths and shoe is no go area

Swears, once youre sick you will nearly regret it

Muyiwaipere:
Bros....abeg no loud am...make those that want to Japa go and see.

I tell people since I came back home that, there's no place like home.

Peace

No lies, but they have to go first to find out themselves

edogu:
As salary don triple, price of commodities, inflation and fuel price don triple too.

the inflation skyrocketed

CJStarz:
Overlook him.
Focus and take care of your children

But you know that takes a lot of financial and emotional responsibilities

I Paid My Own Bride Price Because My Husband's Family Was Too Poor to Afford It Now He Treats Me Like a Maid. Nairaland Please Advise

Here's how she narrates the story
I have never told anyone this story in full. Not my sister. Not my closest friend. Today I am telling strangers on the internet because I am tired of carrying it alone.

Need a business website, e-commerce store, or SEO strategy? Let's talk. devifeoluwa@gmail.com | Whatsapp +2348109733031

My name is not important. I am 34 years old. I have been married for 4 years. I have two children. And I am sitting in my kitchen right now typing this while my husband is in the living room watching football like everything is fine.

Everything is not fine.

HOW WE MET
Emeka and I met in 2017 at a mutual friend's birthday party in Lekki. He was charming, funny, well dressed and spoke with the kind of confidence that makes you think a man has his life together.

We dated for 2 years. He was attentive, romantic and consistent. I genuinely believed I had found the right person.

When he proposed in 2019 I said yes without hesitation.

That was the beginning of everything.

THE BRIDE PRICE CONVERSATION

Three months before our wedding, Emeka sat me down and told me the truth about his family's financial situation.

His father had died years earlier leaving nothing behind. His mother was a petty trader in Anambra surviving on whatever his elder brother could send monthly. There were no savings. No family contributions. Nothing.

The bride price his family was supposed to bring to mine was 1.8 million naira plus items.

His family could raise 200,000 naira.

I watched this man cry in front of me. He held my hands and said he did not want to lose me over money. He promised he would pay me back. He promised things would change. He said he was embarrassed but he trusted me enough to be honest.

I was moved. I thought it was brave of him to tell me the truth. I thought I was choosing love over tradition.

I quietly moved money from my savings and gave it to his uncle to present as the family contribution. My own family never knew. They collected the bride price happily and blessed our union.

I paid for my own bride price.

I have never said that sentence out loud before.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE WEDDING

The first year was manageable. We were still in the honeymoon phase and I told myself we were building together.

But something shifted quietly. So quietly I almost did not notice it happening.

Emeka stopped asking for my opinion on things. Small things first. What to eat. Where to go. Then bigger things. He made a financial decision involving a land purchase without telling me. When I raised it he said he was the man of the house and did not need my permission.

The man of the house.

The man whose bride price I paid.

He started coming home late without explanation. When I asked questions he accused me of being controlling. When I cried he told me I was too emotional. When I brought up our finances he said I always wanted to make him feel small.

I have never once thrown the bride price in his face. Not once. But somehow he seems to know it lives in the room with us. And instead of gratitude it has turned into resentment.

Like I stole something from him by helping him.

THE INCIDENT THAT BROKE ME

Four months ago we had a fight about house expenses. I handle most of the bills because my salary is higher. I asked him to at least cover the children's school fees consistently.

He looked at me and said:

"You like to feel like a man so much. Oya now. Be the man."

I stood there in silence. I did not cry until he left the room.

This is the man I paid bride price for. This is the man I protected from shame in front of my family. This is the man I chose.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

We are not separated. We are not in counseling. We are doing that very Nigerian thing where you carry pain with a straight face and perform happiness for the world.

My mother calls every Sunday. I tell her everything is fine.

My friends see our pictures on Instagram and send heart emojis.

Inside this house there are two people living like polite strangers who share children.

I do not know what I am asking for exactly. Maybe advice. Maybe just to be heard. Maybe I just needed to say the truth somewhere even if it is to strangers.

But if you are a young woman reading this and a man is asking you to quietly cover what his family cannot provide, please think carefully. Love is real but so are consequences.

I loved this man completely. I still do somewhere underneath all this pain.

But I am exhausted.

I will be reading every comment. Please be kind. I am not as strong as this post might make me sound.

Docenti Global Business School | Best Business School in Lagos | MBA in Nigeria

My Salary Has Tripled Since 2020. I Have Nothing to Show For It. Something Is Very Wrong

I need to say this somewhere because I cannot say it out loud.

Not to my friends. Not to my family. Not to my colleagues who think I have arrived because I drive to work and wear good clothes.

Need a business website, e-commerce store, or SEO strategy? Let's talk. devifeoluwa@gmail.com | Whatsapp +2348109733031

In 2020, I was earning ₦120,000 per month.

Today I earn ₦380,000 per month.

My salary has more than tripled in four years. And I am sitting here on a Sunday night, checking my account balance, wondering where everything went.

I have no land. No house. No car of my own. My savings can barely cover two months of expenses. My investments are small and moving slowly. I am 31 years old and I feel like I am starting from zero.

Something is very wrong. And I need to understand what it is.

LET ME SHOW YOU THE REAL PICTURE
In 2020, I was living in a one room apartment in Ojodu. Rent was ₦250,000 per year. I was eating, saving ₦20,000 every month without trying too hard, and still had money to enjoy small small on weekends.

I was not rich. But I was moving forward. I could feel it.

Today I live in a two bedroom flat in the same general axis. Rent is ₦1,800,000 per year. That is ₦150,000 per month just to have a roof over my head.

In 2020, a bag of rice was ₦18,000. Today that same bag is over ₦80,000.

In 2020, fuel was ₦145 per litre. Today I am filling my tank at over ₦1,000 per litre.

In 2020, I recharged ₦5,000 data and it lasted me the whole month. Today that same amount disappears in two weeks.

Everything I spend money on has multiplied by four, five, sometimes six times. My salary only tripled. The gap between those two facts is where my life savings should be.

THE MONTH THAT BROKE ME
Let me tell you about March this year.

I got a credit alert of ₦380,000 on the 28th. I genuinely smiled. Felt that small rush you feel on payday.

By the 15th of the following month, I had ₦47,000 left.

I sat down and traced every kobo.

Rent contribution: ₦150,000 Feeding: ₦65,000 Fuel and transport: ₦40,000 Electricity and generator: ₦35,000 Data and subscriptions: ₦12,000 Money sent to mum: ₦40,000 Friend's wedding contribution: ₦10,000 Hair and personal care: ₦8,000 Miscellaneous small purchases I cannot even fully remember: ₦23,000

Total: ₦383,000

I did not travel. I did not shop. I did not treat myself to anything significant. I simply existed for one month in Lagos and it cost me everything I earned plus small change.

That night I could not sleep.

THE THINGS THAT ARE QUIETLY EATING US

I have been thinking about this for weeks and here is what I have identified.

Lifestyle creep nobody warned us about. When I was earning ₦120,000, I managed. When I started earning more, I did not save the difference. I upgraded. Better apartment. Better phone. Better everything. Each upgrade felt deserved. Together they became a trap.

Family responsibilities that grow with your salary. The moment your family senses you are earning more, the requests increase. I am not blaming them. Nigeria is hard for everyone. But I went from sending ₦15,000 home to sending ₦40,000 home and the expectation keeps moving.

Inflation that moves faster than any promotion. My company has given me three raises since 2020. Each raise felt like progress. But each raise was chasing inflation that had already lapped me twice. I was always arriving somewhere inflation had already left.

The cost of looking okay. This one is painful to admit. I spend money maintaining an appearance of stability because Nigeria does not forgive visible struggle. The clothes. The contributions. The outings I attend because I cannot explain why I am absent. The image tax is real and it is expensive.

WHAT I HAVE TRIED

I am not someone who just complains. I have tried things.

I started budgeting properly eight months ago. It helped me see the problem clearly but did not solve it. You cannot budget your way out of inflation. The numbers are simply against you.

I tried cutting back on family support. That conversation did not go well. I am still recovering from it emotionally.

I started a small resale business on the side six months ago. It is bringing in an extra ₦45,000 on average. It helps. But it is not enough to change the picture.

I moved some money into a dollar savings account. Very small. But I am trying to stop naira from eating everything I have.

I am learning a skill that can earn me foreign income. It is slow. But I am moving.

The honest truth is none of these things have produced the breakthrough I need yet. I am doing everything I was told to do and I am still not where I should be.

THE THING THAT SCARES ME MOST

It is not the present. I can manage the present.

What scares me is the trajectory.

If I am 31 today with nothing solid to show, where will I be at 40 if this pattern continues? The thought genuinely disturbs me at night. I did not go to school, hustle, get promoted, and sacrifice my twenties to arrive at 40 with nothing.

I watch my parents and I see what a life of honest work without wealth building looks like in old age in Nigeria. I love them. But I refuse to repeat that story.

Something has to change. I just have not fully figured out what yet.

WHY I AM POSTING THIS

I am not looking for pity. I am looking for truth.

I want to know if anyone else is living this exact reality. Earning well by Nigerian standards. Feeling poor by any honest measure. Doing the right things. Still not moving fast enough.

I also want to know what actually worked for you. Not theory. Not motivational quotes. Not "invest in yourself." Real moves. Real numbers. Real results.

If you broke this cycle, tell me how. I am listening.

And if you are in it like me, say so. We should not be carrying this alone and pretending everything is fine.

Drop your comment below. Let us be honest with each other for once.

Docenti Global Business School | Best Business School in Lagos | MBA in Nigeria

Okpueze1:
You waited to get your ILR before returning to Nigeria?
Why?

Shouldn't I have done that?

Let me start by saying this: I know what you are thinking. "This guy don craze." Even my own mother cried when I told her I was coming back.

I left Nigeria in 2019. Got a visa through my company's transfer program, packed two bags, and landed in Manchester on a cold Tuesday morning that nearly killed my Lagos raised soul.

For 5 years, I did everything "right."

Got a better paying job. Sent money home every month. Upgraded my family's life. Got my indefinite leave to remain sorted. On paper, I was living the dream every Nigerian prays for at night.

But last December, I packed those same two bags now four and came back to Lagos.

Here is why.

1. I WAS LONELY IN A WAY I CANNOT FULLY EXPLAIN

Nobody warns you about this.

You can be surrounded by colleagues, housemates, even "friends" and still feel like a ghost. British people are polite but not warm. There is a difference. You will smile at your neighbor for 3 years and never know his first name.

In Lagos, my street alone has more genuine human connection than my entire postcode in Manchester. My landlord's wife used to bring me food when I was sick. My neighbor knew my name within 24 hours.

I did not realize how much I needed that until I did not have it anymore.

2. THE MONEY LOOKED BIG UNTIL IT DIDN'T

Yes, I was earning in pounds. But London/UK cost of living will humble you fast.

Rent: £900/month for a small flat. Food: £400/month if you cook mostly at home. Transport: £200/month. Bills: £150/month.

By the time you finish doing the math, that "big salary" is already half gone before you enjoy anything. And if you have family back home depending on you, which most of us do, you are effectively running two households.

Back in Lagos, with the savings and investments I had built up, I now run a small logistics business. Last month I cleared more in naira than I was taking home in pounds after expenses.

People forget to calculate purchasing power and cost of living when they are dreaming about abroad.

3. I WAS AGEING WITHOUT LIVING
This one is personal.

In the UK, my routine was: wake up, commute, work, come home, cook, sleep, repeat. Weekends were for grocery shopping and rest because Monday was always coming.

In Lagos, even with the chaos, there is LIFE. There is noise and owambe and suya at midnight and people who actually want to sit with you and argue about football for 3 hours. There is color. There is energy.

I went to the UK and became productive. I came back to Nigeria and started actually living.

4. MY PARENTS ARE GETTING OLD
I watched my father shrink over video calls. My mother's hair went completely white in 3 years. They never complained, that is the Nigerian parent way, but I could see it.

No amount of money sent home replaces presence. I know that sounds like something on a greeting card, but I promise you it is true. My father's face when I walked through the door in December is something I will never forget.

I refuse to be the child who shows up for the burial after spending the last good years sending money instead of time.

5. OPPORTUNITY IN NIGERIA IS UNDERRATED
This will be controversial, I know.

But hear me out. Nigeria is hard. The infrastructure is a disaster. Fuel prices are criminal. The government is not your friend.

AND YET, for someone with skill, international exposure, savings, and the willingness to grind, Nigeria rewards you in ways that a saturated Western economy cannot. The competition is not as fierce at the top. The gaps in the market are enormous.

I identified a logistics gap in my area. Started small. Now I have 6 staff and three vehicles. I am building something. In the UK I was building someone else's dream.

THE HONEST DOWNSIDES, I WON'T LIE TO YOU

Light situation is still a spiritual attack. Generator fuel is expensive. The roads want to kill me daily. Some things that should take 30 minutes take 3 days because of bureaucracy. I sometimes miss the simple efficiency of abroad. Ordering something and it actually arrives. Bills that just work.

I am not here to sell you a fantasy. Nigeria is hard. But it is MY hard. And I am building something meaningful inside it.

FINAL WORD

I am not saying don't Japa. If you have the opportunity and you are young, GO. Gather experience, save money, build skills, see the world.

But do not let anyone make you feel like returning home is failure. It is a choice. And for me, it has been the best one I ever made.

I am home. I am building. I am alive.

Need a business website, e-commerce store, or SEO strategy? Let's talk. devifeoluwa@gmail.com | Whatsapp +2348109733031

Drop your questions or your own experience below, let us talk.

jojothaiv:
I hate that appreciation card been tossed around like hey, you guys have it all good better shush it.

Don't mind them, I wonder why someone would see 500k as a big deal in 2026. Saying I should appreciate, do they mean I should always aim lower.

Difrent:
You are among the lucky 10% that earn above 500k, you no be one of us joor
No where in your write up did you talk about being poor at any time

You be confirm NEPO BABY is all I have to tell you

500k ain't what u think it to be.

obeegee:
Nigerians deserve the leaders they have

Tribalism has finished the country kpata kpata

Leaders know this and exploit it perfectly.

Amongst themselves, there is no tribalism oh. When its time to share money, there is no bigotry.

When its time to be accountable to citizens, identity politics is used

Money money money Tribalism at its peak

ecolime:
Yes. Close it down after you've critically reviewed business and market data.

No point wasting resources in keeping a dead-end business running.

I learnt this lesson the hard way in 2023. My partner and I didn't do extensive market research before launching our services.

We spent almost $15,000 trying to keep the business alive but eventually had to swallow the bitter pill.

That's actually a good point, but have you tried checking if you're using the right approach, because sometimes you have to take a step back

Ifeoluwadev:
Nobody go insult you.
You're being honest

I was about to say the same thing but you beat me to it.

bestman09:
The citizens were actually scammed

And the people definitely ain't ready for a change. If we are we know what to do

dawnomike:
For me, I can only show this government 30%... Sometimes, I just some how some people survive day by day in this country of ours.

It's not easy out there, people strive to survive.

Before anybody calls me a liar or a complainer, sit down and read this first. Because I have numbers. And numbers don't lie.

In 2019, I was earning ₦150,000 per month. Junior staff. I was not rich at all. But I was comfortable. I could breathe.

Today in 2026, I earn ₦500,000 per month. On paper that is more than 3x growth. I should be living large. I should have savings. I should be talking about investments by now.

Instead I am broke before the 25th of every month.

Let me show you exactly why.


THE NAIRA ITSELF
In 2019, one dollar was roughly ₦360.
Today in 2026, one dollar is over ₦1,500.

The naira has lost about 75% of its value against the dollar in 7 years. So anything imported, whether electronics, medicine, baby products or even some food, now costs 4 times what it used to.

My ₦500k today equals roughly $333.
My ₦150k in 2019 was worth roughly $416.

Read that again.

I earn more naira but fewer dollars. In real purchasing power I have gone backwards even though my salary tripled on paper.


FOOD

In 2019, I fed myself comfortably for around ₦30,000 per month. Decent food, market twice a week, occasionally a small restaurant.

Today that same lifestyle costs me at least ₦120,000 and that is me managing carefully.

| Item | 2019 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Bag of rice (50kg) | ₦18,000 | ₦85,000+ |
| Cooking gas (12.5kg) | ₦3,500 | ₦18,000+ |
| Groundnut oil (4 litres) | ₦2,800 | ₦12,000+ |
| Tomatoes (paint bucket) | ₦800 | ₦5,000+ |
| Full chicken | ₦2,500 | ₦10,000+ |
| Big loaf of bread | ₦350 | ₦1,500+ |

My food budget went up by 400%. My salary went up by 233%. The food is winning.



RENT

In 2019, I paid ₦350,000 per year for a decent one bedroom in a Lagos suburb. That is about ₦29,000 per month if you break it down.

Today that same apartment, same area, same size, same leaking ceiling, is ₦1.2 million per year. That is ₦100,000 per month equivalent.

I now spend 20% of my gross salary on rent alone. And landlords still want one to two years upfront. So every renewal season I need to drop over ₦1 million at once like I am buying land.



ELECTRICITY AND GENERATOR
In 2019, NEPA was bad but manageable. Fuel was ₦145 per litre. My monthly gen fuel was around ₦8,000.

Today petrol is close to ₦1,500 per litre. My monthly generator fuel alone is ₦45,000. And NEPA is still giving me the same 4 hours they gave me in 2019. Nothing changed on their side except the bills went up.


TRANSPORT

Bus from my estate to office in 2019 was ₦150 each way. That is ₦300 per day, about ₦6,600 per month.

Same route today is ₦700 minimum each way. ₦1,400 per day. Nearly ₦31,000 per month.

Ride hailing? Multiply that by three. I now spend between ₦30,000 and ₦50,000 every month just moving my body from home to work and back.



SO WHERE DOES THE ₦500K GO?

| Expense | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Rent (broken down monthly) | ₦100,000 |
| Food and groceries | ₦120,000 |
| Generator fuel | ₦45,000 |
| Transport | ₦35,000 |
| NEPA bill | ₦18,000 |
| Airtime and data | ₦12,000 |
| Toiletries and misc | ₦20,000 |
| Tithe | ₦25,000 |
| **Total** | **₦375,000+** |

That leaves me ₦125,000 for savings, emergencies, hospital, clothes, sending money home, school fees if you have children, and anything unexpected.

In 2019 on ₦150,000, my total expenses were under ₦90,000 and I had ₦60,000 left. That leftover was worth $167 at the time. My ₦125,000 leftover today is worth $83.

I saved more real money when I earned less. That is not a feeling. That is arithmetic.



THE PART NOBODY TALKS ABOUT
Beyond the numbers, what has changed is how money feels.

In 2019, seeing ₦100,000 in my account felt like safety. Like I had options. Like I could breathe easy.

Today I see ₦500,000 land on payday and my first feeling is anxiety, not happiness. Because I immediately start calculating what is owed, what is running out, what will still not be enough.

That shift from feeling okay to feeling like you are always one emergency away from trouble, even as your salary grows, is what this economy has quietly done to the Nigerian middle class.

We are not imagining things. We are not lazy. We are not bad at managing money. We are just running on a treadmill that keeps speeding up.



MY QUESTION TO NAIRALANDERS:
What was your salary in 2019 and what is it today? Are you genuinely better off or are you like me, earning more and living less?

Drop your numbers in the comments. No judgement for anybody. Let us count together.

Nairalanders, let's have an honest conversation today. No tribalism, no sentiment. Just facts and receipts.

On May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu was sworn in with a manifesto called "Renewed Hope." His key promises were simple:

✅ Fix the economy ✅ Create jobs for youths ✅ Deliver stable electricity ✅ Improve security nationwide ✅ Make housing, healthcare and education affordable ✅ Strengthen the Naira

Three years later, let us open the scoreboard.

PROMISE 1: STABLE ELECTRICITY
This one hurts the most because Tinubu was very specific. He reportedly said:

"If I do not provide steady electricity in my first four years, do not vote for me for a second term."

What happened? The national grid collapsed at least 12 times in 2025 alone, and had already collapsed twice by January 2026. Peter Obi publicly called him out on this. As of today, most Nigerians are still on generators and inverters. This promise is BROKEN.

State by state situation:
Lagos - Grid collapses still frequent. DisCo bills are rising while supply drops. Abuja - FCT residents paying higher tariffs for the same epileptic supply. Kano, Kaduna - Average of 2–4 hours of power daily reported by residents. Enugu, Anambra - Businesses spending 60-70% of operating cost on diesel. Rivers - Oil-producing state. Still buys diesel like the rest of us. Borno, Yobe - Some communities haven't had electricity in months.

Verdict: ❌ FAILED

PROMISE 2: SUBSIDY REMOVAL SAVINGS WOULD BENEFIT NIGERIANS

On Day 1, Tinubu removed fuel subsidy. The promise was that the trillions saved would be redirected to roads, hospitals, schools and poverty relief for ordinary Nigerians.

What happened? According to a Human Rights Watch report, there has been no transparency on how much was saved or how it has been used. Meanwhile, petrol prices rose from below ₦200/litre in 2023 to nearly ₦1,500/litre by 2026. The government purchased a new presidential jet and reportedly planned a luxury yacht while citizens struggled.

The Federation Account did distribute N28.78 trillion in 2024 - a 79% jump from the previous year. But as one newspaper reported, many state governors responded by buying fleets of luxury SUVs and building conference centres while rural clinics lack basic medicine.

So the money came. The question is - who benefited?

State by state:

Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers - Oil money states. Roads still bad. Hospitals still underfunded. Zamfara, Sokoto - Received allocations. Bandit attacks still ongoing. Ogun, Oyo - Infrastructure projects exist but cost of living remains punishing. Cross River - Calabar resort still the main "development" story. Imo - Government building projects, but poverty rate worsening.

Verdict: ❌ BROKEN / COMPROMISED

PROMISE 3: MINIMUM WAGE AND WORKER WELFARE

Tinubu promised economic recovery and better welfare for Nigerian workers.

What happened? After prolonged negotiations and near-strike actions, the minimum wage was raised to ₦70,000. But as of 2026, Nigerian governors are STILL being asked to consider raising it to ₦100,000 - because ₦70,000 cannot sustain a single person in Lagos or Abuja. And many states have not been paying even the ₦70,000 consistently.

For context: ₦70,000 today buys what ₦15,000 bought in 2019. Inflation has wiped out any wage increase before it even arrived in workers' pockets.

Verdict: ⚠️ PARTIALLY DONE / COMPROMISED

PROMISE 4: SECURITY - LIVES AND PROPERTY
This was one of the loudest promises. Tinubu said he would secure Nigeria.

What happened? Three years in, bandit attacks continue in the Northwest. Kidnappings have expanded southward. Farmers still cannot access their lands in many LGAs. Just recently in Oyo, a school kidnapping occurred and the story of politicians allegedly funding kidnappers is trending. Borno and Zamfara remain militarised zones.

The President himself recently blamed the security crisis on "cabals who benefited from fuel subsidy and FX manipulation" - meaning he is yet to find a solution and is still searching for who to blame.

State by state:
Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi - Bandit attacks ongoing. Farmers displaced. Benue, Plateau - Farmer-herder clashes unresolved. Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi - Unknown gunmen attacks. Monday sit-at-home persists. Oyo -School kidnapping in 2026. First Lady territory not spared. Borno - Troops deployed but insurgency not fully defeated. Lagos - Ritual killings and kidnappings increasing in peri-urban areas.

Verdict: ❌ LARGELY FAILED

THE OVERALL SCORECARD (Based on AdvoKC Foundation Report, 2026):

Out of 53 campaign promises reviewed:

✅ Fulfilled: 11 (only 20.8%) ⚠️ Compromised/Partial: 22 (41.5%) ❌ Broken/Unfulfilled: 20 (37.7%)

That means roughly 80% of what Tinubu promised is either incomplete or outright broken as of Year 3.

🗣️ MY TAKE:

I am not here to insult anyone or play party politics. Governance is hard, I understand. Some reforms like the FX unification and subsidy removal may have long-term logic to them. But Nigerians were not told it would take this long or hurt this much.

The middle class has shrunk. Food prices are out of reach. Rent has become impossible. Electricity is still a joke. And security is getting worse, not better.

Tinubu still has roughly one year before 2027 campaigns begin. The question for Nairalanders is this:

Based on where YOUR state is today vs where it was in May 2023 - are you better off, worse off, or the same?

Drop your state and your honest verdict below. Let's count.

Sources: Pulse Nigeria, Human Rights Watch, PRNigeria, ICIR, Punch, AdvoKC Foundation Report 2026

Nword22:
Nothing to make here.

Lol, funny response, I will make my research

Danberth:
I used Geegpay once too, but I found out that I liked Cleva better. Have you tried Cleva?

I Haven't tried that personally

marlow1962:
Tribalism and Being told the honest truth are Nigerians biggest problem and na why them no dy move forward.

Watch as person go vex now insult me.

Nobody go insult you.
You're being honest

Before you come in here and start quoting Tinubu or Buhari or Jonathan, read this to the end. Because what I am about to say is something most of us already know deep down but refuse to say out loud.
Nigeria's problem is not the government.
The government is just a reflection of who we are as a people.
Think about it carefully. Every corrupt politician was born here. Went to school here. Grew up watching his father settle a police officer with 200 naira. Watched his uncle get a job not because he was qualified but because he knew somebody. Watched his mother jump a queue and feel proud about it. These people did not fall from the sky. We produced them.
And then we voted for them.
Not because we were forced. Because they shared rice and 5,000 naira in our streets and we collected it and said God will provide. Or because they are from our tribe and we believe our tribe deserves to be in power even if the man has never built anything in his life. Or because the pastor said he is a man of God and that was enough qualification for us.

The Tribe Problem
Ask a Nigerian what he wants in a president. He will say good roads, light, jobs, security. Ask him who he voted for and he will say someone from his state or his religion. These two answers cannot coexist and yet we repeat this cycle every four years and act surprised when nothing changes.
A Yoruba man will defend a Yoruba governor until his last breath. An Igbo man will explain away every failure of an Igbo politician before he admits the man is wrong. A Northern man will vote against his own interest as long as the candidate is from his faith. This is not politics. This is self destruction with a smile.
The Accountability Problem
In countries that work, citizens hold governments responsible. They protest. They sue. They vote people out and make sure the person knows exactly why he lost.
Here in Nigeria we complain on Twitter from 9am to 11pm and then wake up the next day and go and hustle because that is all we believe we can do. We have accepted suffering as a national identity. We even make jokes about it. No light, we buy generator. No water, we buy sachet. Bad roads, we buy SUV. We have become so creative in surviving our problems that we have lost the will to solve them.
And the politicians know this. That is why nothing changes.
The Religious Problem
We are perhaps the most religious people on earth and also among the most corrupt. That combination should disturb us but it does not. A man who collected government money meant for school children will stand in church on Sunday and lead praise and worship. His pastor knows. The congregation knows. Nobody says a word because he donates to the building fund.
We have outsourced our responsibility to God. God will fix Nigeria. God will punish the evil leaders. Meanwhile the evil leaders are also in church saying God will bless Nigeria while signing contracts with inflated figures on Monday morning.

The Japa Problem
The best brains are leaving. Every year, doctors, engineers, teachers, programmers pack their bags and go. And we celebrate them. We call them sharp. The ones who stay are the ones who could not leave, or the ones who are benefiting from the current system.
So who is left to build Nigeria? Who is left to demand better? Who is left to teach the children, treat the sick, design the infrastructure? We are draining ourselves and then wondering why the bucket is empty.

The Honest Truth
No government can fix a people who do not want to be fixed. No leader can drag a nation forward when the citizens are pulling backward. Change does not come from Abuja. It comes from the man who refuses to bribe his way into a job. The woman who does not pay the WAEC supervisor to pass her child. The community that tells its local government chairman that if he steals their money they will make his life uncomfortable.
That kind of culture does not exist here yet. Until it does, we will keep getting the Nigeria we deserve.
Say what you want in the comments. Insult me if you like. But you know I am right.

Nword22:
Ondo nko.

I need to make my research on this.

Ebenezer2021:
fake.
Otti hasn't owed salary before..

You dont work in all sectors. Its a different thing for the gov to disburse, its another thing to be distributed by officials.