It's no longer news, and so far it sounds like a chorus we all know too well. Where government officials all keep saying the same thing. "The economy is improving. Inflation is easing, reforms are working, and Nigeria is on the path to recovery." On paper, it's all true; the numbers look better than before.
But on the streets, in markets, homes, and offices, many Nigerians are asking a simple question:
If things are improving, why does life feel harder?
The answer lies in the gap between statistics and daily life.
1. Slowing inflation is not the same as prices dropping
This is the biggest misunderstanding.
When the government says inflation is slowing or improving, it does not necessarily mean that prices are falling sharply. It only means prices are rising more slowly than before, or dropping more slowly than they grew in the first place.
Let's say, for example:
-
Garri moved from ₦1,000 to ₦2,000 last year
-
And from ₦2,000 to ₦2,200 this year
Inflation has actually slowed, but the thing is, garri is still expensive.
And when they say it is reversing by some certain percentage, it means you also need to look at other indices to see why you are not feeling it yet!
So for people whose income did not rise with prices in the first instance, life remains hard.
2. Prices went up fast, but incomes did not
During the early phase of the reforms:
-
Fuel prices jumped
-
Transport costs rose
-
Food prices followed
-
Rent increased
All at the same time
But salaries, wages, and daily income did not rise at the same speed.
So even if prices stop rising fast now, people are still trying to survive higher prices with their old income.
This is why you might have heard many Nigerians saying:
“We are not recovering, we are just adjusting.”
3. Economic recovery starts from the top, not the home
Most economic improvements begin at the macro level:
-
Government revenue
-
Foreign reserves
-
Investor confidence
-
Exchange rate stability
Of course, these things matter, but they do not put food on the table immediately.
It takes time, and sometimes years, before these macro improvements reflect in:
-
Jobs
-
Cheaper food
-
Better wages
-
Lower transport costs
And right now, Nigerians are living in the waiting period, where pain comes first, and relief is delayed.
4. Everyday costs are still squeezing people
Even with improved figures, daily expenses remain heavy:
-
Food still takes the largest share of income.
-
Transport costs remain high.
-
Electricity is unstable, pushing businesses to generators, which in turn raises costs for people.
-
Rent keeps rising
-
School fees and health care costs more.
So while inflation slows or takes baby steps toward reversal, total household pressure stays high.
People don’t measure the economy by charts or big grammar press releases by government officials.
They measure it by how much is left after buying food.
5. Reforms fix old problems, but create new pain first
Supporters of the Tinubu government argue that reforms were necessary to stop long-term damage.
That may be true.
But reforms often work like surgery:
-
The pain comes before healing.
-
The patients always feel worse before feeling better
The problem here is that many Nigerians were already weak before the surgery started.
So the question for many households is not whether reforms are good, but whether they can survive long enough to see the benefits.
6. Relief is uneven; some feel it, many don’t
Some sectors are already seeing benefits:
-
Government finances
-
Certain businesses
-
Export-related industries
But most Nigerians work in the informal economy:
-
Traders
-
Artisans
-
Farmers
-
Daily earners
For them, improvement is slower and harder to feel.
This creates a situation where the government speaks of improvement, but the majority feels excluded from it.
7. People are not complaining loudly anymore; they are just adapting quietly
This may be the most dangerous part of it all.
Instead of protests like it used to, many Nigerians are:
-
Eating less
-
Buying smaller portions
-
Delaying hospital visits
-
Taking extra jobs
-
Pulling children out of private schools
-
Moving to cheaper houses
This quiet adjustment does not make headlines, but it shows stress.
When people stop shouting and start shrinking their lives, it says a lot.
So what is really happening?
Two things can be true at the same time:
-
The economy may be stabilizing.
-
Life can still feel harder for ordinary people.
And until wages improve, food becomes more affordable, and daily costs reduce, many Nigerians will not believe recovery has started, no matter what the numbers say.
The real question Nigerians are asking is no longer
“Are the reforms working?”
It is now:
“How long before working people actually feel the relief?”
Because survival cannot wait forever.
Do you feel any improvement in your daily life, or are you just surviving differently? Tell us where you live and what has changed for you in this administration.
0 Comments