Average Nigerian Can Survive on ₦3,000 Daily — Reno Omokri

 

By Abel Chigozie 

Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has sparked debate after claiming that an average Nigerian can survive on about ₦3,000 a day, depending on the prevailing cost of living.

Omokri made the assertion while appearing on Sunday Politics, where he discussed Nigeria’s rising cost of living and the measurement of poverty across different countries.

The former presidential aide said he recently visited markets with a journalist, without security personnel, to personally assess the prices of essential food items.

According to him, they checked the prices of commodities including yam, rice, maize and fruits before arriving at his conclusion that ₦3,000 could sustain an average Nigerian for a day.

Omokri, however, acknowledged that the same amount would represent poverty in countries such as the United States because of differences in living costs.

He said, “I went there with one journalist, no security, and I stopped along the way, and I priced goods. I priced yam, I priced rice, I priced maize, I priced fruits. In Nigeria, people can live on that amount in a day.

“But in the United States, if you try to live on that amount in a day, it is poverty. So, context matters.”

The ambassador-designate also questioned the extent to which international poverty benchmarks reflect the economic realities of Nigerians.

He distinguished between global poverty thresholds used by international institutions and the actual purchasing power of individuals within specific countries.

Responding to a question on the World Bank’s poverty benchmark, Omokri said the institution was applying a global standard, which he argued should be considered within the context of different countries’ economic conditions.

His comments have generated discussion about Nigeria’s cost of living, food prices, purchasing power and the appropriate way to measure poverty in the country.