Are You Better Off? Two Years On, Nigerians Ask Hard Questions

Two years after this administration took office, Nigerians are confronted with a hard and unavoidable question: are we truly better off? For many households, the answer is no. The cost of living has risen sharply, purchasing power has collapsed, and daily survival has become a struggle. What was promised as renewed hope now feels like renewed hardship, especially for ordinary Nigerians who bear the brunt of economic decisions.

Since 2024, an estimated 14 million more Nigerians have slipped into poverty, pushing the total number of people living below the poverty line to about 129 million. This is not just a statistic but a human tragedy. It speaks to empty kitchens, withdrawn children, shuttered small businesses, and families forced to choose between food, education, and healthcare. At such a moment, leadership is expected to respond with empathy, urgency, and clear welfare policies. Instead, Nigerians hear promises without visible plans or measurable outcomes.

History offers a powerful contrast. Chief Obafemi Awolowo built his leadership on a simple philosophy: the welfare of the people must come first. His introduction of free universal primary education in the Western Region transformed literacy and opportunity, while free healthcare for children and disciplined public finance proved that social welfare and fiscal responsibility can coexist. His vision showed that government exists to lift the many, not protect the few.

That tradition of people centred governance did not end with Awolowo. In recent years, the Buhari administration rolled out the largest social investment programme in Nigeria’s history. Initiatives such as N Power, conditional cash transfers, school feeding, and trader support schemes reached millions of vulnerable Nigerians. While imperfect, these programmes acknowledged poverty as a national emergency and treated welfare as a core responsibility of government.

At the state level, examples from Osun and Kaduna reinforced the same lesson. In Osun, Rauf Aregbesola prioritised youth employment, school feeding, social welfare for the elderly, digital learning tools, and massive school infrastructure, earning national and international recognition. In Kaduna, Nasir El Rufai expanded free education, scholarships, healthcare access, and women empowerment programmes, proving that subnational governments can deliver real social protection when there is political will.

Aregbesola’s administration launched the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O-MEALS), which provided daily meals to over 250,000 pupils in public primary schools across the state. The programme directly empowered more than 3,000 local food vendors and caterers, most of them women, while creating a steady market for local farmers, especially poultry farmers, vegetable growers, and food suppliers. Beyond improving school attendance and nutrition for pupils, O-MEALS reduced the financial burden on parents and injected income into rural economies. Complementing this was the O-YES youth empowerment scheme, which engaged about 40,000 young people in public works, community services, and vocational training. Massive investments in modern school infrastructure, digital learning tools (Opon Imo), social welfare support for the elderly, and health initiatives earned Osun national and international recognition. These interventions demonstrated that with political will, subnational governments can protect the vulnerable, stimulate local economies, and deliver inclusive development even in fiscally constrained environments.

;

These policies are not distant memories or theoretical ideas. They are recent, verifiable interventions that improved lives and expanded opportunity. They demonstrate that governance rooted in compassion, planning, and accountability can soften economic shocks and protect the vulnerable, even in difficult times.

Today, many Nigerians feel abandoned by a system that appears more responsive to elites than to the masses. The absence of strong, visible welfare policies in the face of rising poverty raises a troubling question about our national priorities. A society that allows suffering to deepen without intervention risks losing not just stability, but its moral compass.

Nigeria must return to a simple principle: leadership exists to serve the people. A country where the child of a poor family has the same chance as the child of the powerful is not built by slogans, but by deliberate policies. Nigerians must demand better governance, resist the temptation to trade their votes for short term gain, and insist on a future where leadership truly cares.