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Former Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, has criticised the Nigerian Government’s economic policies, saying Nigerians are experiencing worsening hardship despite official claims of economic progress.
Obi spoke on News Central’s Breakfast Show during a programme marking Nigeria’s Independence Day, where she questioned the impact of government policies on ordinary citizens and the rising cost of living.
#NigeriaAt66: “What this government has brought to us is a lot of suffering for the Nigerian people.”
Former @ActionAidNG Country Director Ene Obi says the minimum wage increase may not be enough to improve living standards while food and other essential costs remain high. pic.twitter.com/kWWZF2BayA
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) October 1, 2026
“Everything is being truncated…. How can you tell us that you are growing our reserve when it doesn’t make sense?” she said, questioning how reported economic gains translate into better living conditions for Nigerians.
She compared current food prices with what Nigerians paid before the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that the minimum wage once had greater purchasing power.
“We were buying a bag of gari for less than 30,000,” Obi said, before recalling that a bag of rice cost about ₦8,000 when the minimum wage was ₦30,000.
“And it has worsened over the years because before Buhari came in, we were buying, you know, the minimum wage that was 30,000. You can see, you know, we’re buying the bag of rice for 8,000. And so with your minimum wage, you can still buy a bag of rice,” she said.
Obi said the government’s policies had brought significant hardship, while accusing it of inconsistency in communicating and implementing its economic agenda.
“So we need to interpret things the way it is, that what this government has brought to us is a lot of suffering for the Nigerian people,” she said.
“The poverty and then the inconsistency about their own rhetorics, about the policies.”
She also raised concerns about insecurity and displacement, saying many Nigerians remained unable to return to their homes.
“You know, we still have Nigeria, so many Nigerians that are under siege. So many homes, people have left their homes. Many Nigerians in IDP camps. The state has worsened,” Obi said.
The former ActionAid director also questioned the government’s focus on opposition parties, urging political leaders to account for their performance and the effect of their policies on citizens.
“What have they done? You are looking at your opposition. What have you performed? What did you do to make the lives of Nigerians better?” she asked.
Obi acknowledged the operation of the Dangote Refinery but questioned whether domestic refining had translated into lower fuel prices for consumers.
“Yes, we have Dangote, you know, we have Dangote refinery that is on. Has it made our life better? Why is it that we now have a refinery in Nigeria and the prices are not changing?” she said.
She suggested that Nigerians were not benefiting sufficiently from local fuel production and questioned the timing of increases in petroleum prices.
“So it’s like there is a collusion that is going on against the Nigerian people,” Obi said.
She also criticised the devaluation of the naira and questioned whether increasing the minimum wage alone could improve living standards without addressing broader economic pressures.
“Who asked you to devalue your money, to make it so useless? So increasing the minimum wage, will it make life, you know, better for Nigerians?” she asked.
Describing the situation as “quite terrible,” Obi called on President Bola Tinubu and other political leaders to use the Independence Day commemoration to reflect on the conditions facing Nigerians.
“We can’t continue. And I hope that the president and the political class will use this independence to think about their lives,” she said.
Obi urged leaders to consider their responsibilities to the people.
