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As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) marks the anniversary of his second term in office on May 29, 2025, the mood on the streets stands in stark contrast to the celebratory tone in Aso Rock.
Across Nigeria, particularly among civil servants, the cries of frustration grow louder amid a harsh economic climate shaped by the removal of fuel subsidies and the devaluation of the naira. From Abuja to Akure, civil servants lament that their monthly salaries have become almost meaningless.
“I earn N85,000 and spend over N60,000 just on transport and food,” said Adebayo Ajibola, a junior officer in the Ministry of Agriculture told National Scoop. “They talk about reforms, but we are the ones paying the price with empty stomachs.”, he added.
With prices of essential goods and services more than tripling in some parts of the country, many Nigerians say the anniversary is a bitter reminder of how far their lives have plunged since May 2023.
Rising Expectations and Broken Promises
In the face of deepening hardship, expectations are mounting for real economic relief, not rhetoric. Citizens are calling for an urgent upward review of the national minimum wage, expansion of food subsidies, and improved infrastructure to ease transportation costs.
“We need more than political speeches,” said Florence Eze, a secondary school teacher in Ikotun, Lagos. “We need policies that reflect the reality on ground, not abstract figures from the finance ministry.”
While the Tinubu administration claims it is working towards economic stability, critics argue that the gap between government pronouncements and everyday realities is growing wider by the day.
Government’s Palliatives: Too Little, Too Late?
To cushion the impact of its policies, the federal government has launched palliative programs including conditional cash transfers, distribution of food items, and promises of a new minimum wage.
President Tinubu, in a recent address, assured Nigerians that “painful reforms are the foundation of a prosperous future,” and insisted that short-term sacrifices would lead to long-term gain. However, many Nigerians argue that the support is either insufficient or poorly executed.
“We were told we’d receive palliatives, but in my community, nothing came,” said Musa Lawal, a civil servant in Kaduna. “They’re managing figures on paper, but we are managing hunger in reality.”
Analysts Sound Alarm on Economic Fallout
Political analysts are sounding warnings that public discontent may soon reach a tipping point if the government does not recalibrate its economic approach. “Tinubu’s bold steps could backfire if not matched with practical relief for the poor,” said Dr. Tunde Ogunbiyi, a political economist.
“Policy without compassion leads to disillusionment.” Another analyst, Dr. Aisha Musa, added, “It’s not enough to say the pain is temporary—people want to eat today, not just invest in tomorrow.”
As the APC clinks glasses to celebrate its achievements, the growing unrest in the streets paints a sobering picture of a nation struggling to stay afloat in the tide of its own transformation.
By Korede Abdullah
