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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been in office for two years, and Nigerians have been inundated with statistics, endorsements, and grand narratives of reform. Yet governance is not measured by figures alone; it is measured by how ordinary people live. For millions of Nigerians, the lived experience of the past two years has been one of deepening hardship, insecurity, and uncertainty. Below are twenty-one reasons why many Nigerians believe these policies, rather than improving their lives, have made survival more difficult.

1. GDP growth without human impact

The claim of massive GDP expansion rings hollow for ordinary Nigerians. Economic growth that does not translate into better living standards is meaningless. Today, more Nigerians are poorer, hungrier, and more financially insecure than they were two years ago. Markets are quieter, disposable income has collapsed, and the middle class is shrinking rapidly. Growth that exists only on paper cannot feed families or restore dignity.

2. Tax reforms that punish survival

Rather than creating fairness, tax reforms have increased the burden on struggling citizens and small businesses. Multiple taxes, higher levies, and aggressive revenue collection have become the norm, while public services remain abysmal. Nigerians are being asked to pay more into a system that gives little back, breeding resentment and despair.

3. Economic growth amid personal recession

While officials celebrate quarterly GDP figures, Nigerians are living through a personal recession. Food prices have soared, transport costs have multiplied, and wages have stagnated. Many businesses have shut down, not expanded. An economy that grows while its people suffer is fundamentally broken.

4. International praise that ignores local pain

Endorsements from international figures and institutions do not reflect the reality in Nigerian homes. Stability for global investors has translated into instability for families who lost purchasing power overnight. Global confidence means little when citizens cannot afford basic necessities.

5. Fuel exports at the cost of domestic suffering

Nigeria may now export fuel, but Nigerians pay far more to buy it. The removal of subsidy without adequate cushioning triggered a cascade of inflation across transport, food, and energy. The result is an economy where movement itself has become a luxury.

6. A minimum wage that cannot sustain life

The ₦70,000 minimum wage is inadequate in the face of rising living costs. It cannot cover rent, food, transport, healthcare, and education for a family. Worse still, many state governments cannot pay it at all, widening inequality and worsening labor unrest.

7. Local government autonomy without accountability

Granting autonomy to local governments without strong accountability frameworks has not improved grassroots development. Many councils remain inefficient, corrupt, or politically captured, while rural communities continue to lack clean water, healthcare, and basic infrastructure.

8. Floating the naira without protection

The abrupt flotation of the naira devastated households and businesses. Savings were wiped out, salaries lost value, import-dependent sectors collapsed, and inflation surged. This policy amounted to economic shock therapy applied to a fragile society without safety nets.

9. Mega infrastructure while daily life worsens

Massive highway projects make for impressive announcements, but they do little to ease the daily struggles of Nigerians. Urban roads remain clogged, rural roads are impassable, and farmers cannot easily move produce to markets. Prestige projects cannot substitute for practical development.

10. Debt reduction claims versus real burden

Even if headline debt figures are disputed, debt servicing now consumes an alarming share of national revenue. This leaves little for healthcare, education, security, and social welfare. Nigerians feel the consequences in decaying public services and rising out-of-pocket expenses.

11. Higher state allocations lost to inflation

Increased federal allocations to states have been eroded by inflation and mismanagement. Citizens see little improvement in schools, hospitals, or public infrastructure, while the cost of governance continues to rise.

12. Student loans that mortgage the future

Student loans do not fix the structural decay of Nigeria’s education system. Underfunded universities, overcrowded classrooms, and graduate unemployment persist. Students now graduate with degrees—and debt—into an economy with few opportunities.

13. ASUU peace without sustainable reform

Ending strikes without addressing chronic underfunding risks degrading academic quality. Universities may remain open, but standards continue to fall, and talented academics continue to leave the country in search of better conditions.

14. Passport rankings detached from reality

Improved passport rankings mean little to citizens who cannot afford international travel. For most Nigerians, the problem is not where they can travel, but whether they can survive at home with dignity and security.

15. Administrative fixes mistaken for progress

Ending passport scarcity corrected an embarrassment, but it does not address hunger, insecurity, unemployment, or failing public services. Governance cannot be reduced to fixing bureaucratic bottlenecks while deeper crises fester.

16. Elite-focused infrastructure priorities

Modern airports benefit a small, privileged minority. Meanwhile, millions of Nigerians endure broken hospitals, overcrowded classrooms, and dangerous roads. Development that prioritizes elites over essentials reflects misplaced priorities.

17. Power promises without reliable supply

Despite announcements of large power projects, most Nigerians still rely on generators. Electricity remains unreliable and expensive, driving up business costs and forcing many enterprises to shut down.

18. Trade surplus driven by poverty

Trade surpluses have been achieved partly because Nigerians can no longer afford imports due to naira depreciation. This is not industrial strength but economic contraction disguised as success.

19. Political harmony without public justice

Peaceful relations among political elites have not translated into justice or accountability for citizens. Many Nigerians feel excluded from decision-making, unheard, and disconnected from those in power.

20. Anti-corruption signals without systemic change

Isolated suspensions do not amount to genuine anti-corruption reform. Everyday corruption persists, and many citizens perceive enforcement as selective rather than institutional.

21. Rising reserves, collapsing households

Foreign reserves may have increased, but households are breaking down under the weight of inflation, insecurity, and unemployment. Children drop out of school, healthcare is unaffordable, and survival has become the primary occupation.

Conclusion….

A nation cannot be governed by statistics alone. Policies that produce impressive macroeconomic figures but inflict widespread suffering cannot be described as successful. Governance must be judged by whether citizens eat better, live safer, earn more, and hope again. For many Nigerians, the past two years have delivered the opposite.

If progress were real, Nigerians would not be selling assets to survive, skipping meals, withdrawing children from school, or shutting down lifelong businesses. A government must be evaluated not by its announcements, but by the condition of its people.

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by Hf Dauda MoiSoro – December 15, 2025