Influencer @Wizarab10 has stirred discussion online after sharing a lengthy post comparing Nigeria’s current economic situation to the period when Goodluck Jonathan was in power.
In his post, he recalled his time as a student at the University of Benin, noting that even though students struggled with school fees back then, the overall cost of living was far more manageable.
According to him, students could travel to Benin for as little as ₦12,000 to ₦18,000, while ₦30,000 was enough to stock up on provisions for school. He also said his monthly pocket money of about ₦25,000 to ₦30,000 was sufficient, allowing him to even support friends in the hostel.
However, he argued that the same lifestyle today would require over ₦500,000, blaming the country’s worsening economic conditions under successive administrations, including Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He further criticized rising exchange rates, expensive flights, increasing school fees, and the growing difficulty many Nigerians face in affording food, healthcare, and education.
@Wizarab10 wrote:
“I went to school when Goodluck Jonathan was President. That was during Nigeria’s economic boom. Yet, I saw people struggle to pay N12k for school fees. I saw people come to school with N2k, N5k as pocket money. Some came with foodstuff and ‘remember the home you came from.’
Flight to Benin was between N12k to N18k. I usually went to school, filling the biggest travelling box with provision, and it cost me N30k to do that. My pocket money was between N25 to N30k and it was sufficient. I was feeding my friends in hostel and was named most generous person in the hostel.
Now, in 2026, when our lives should have significantly improved from the progress made by the GEJ government, we went from the clueless Buhari to killer of hope Tinubu. Exchange rate is over the roof. Flight is exorbitant. Feeding is a luxury. School fees is out of the reach of two income household. People are dying daily because they can’t afford health care. The government is taxing people to death. Yet, we have clowns defending the cost of living in a country that minimum wage is N70k.
Meanwhile, the money released for health care of 200m people was N36 million naira. NNPC stole N210 Trillion but it is the masses that should be taxed to raise money and the masses that should have to endure economic hardship and pay exorbitant fee to get the available poor quality education. Today, people are paying above 100k to 500k for public education. Nonsense!
I am very convinced you people defending this are mad and with all due disrespect, you’re very mad.”
Reactions
@Beardless_smallie– “It’s shocking how inflation has completely eaten away what ₦30k used to cover. This thread hits too close to home.”
@temiotunde–“He’s right. The cost of living has skyrocketed under successive governments. Education and healthcare are now luxuries for the average Nigerian.”
@MrBanJii – “Reading this makes me grateful for any little support I get, but honestly, surviving on minimum wage is nearly impossible now.”
@JudenotBellingham – “Back in GEJ’s time, ₦25k could actually sustain a student. Now, you can barely cover rent with that amount. Crazy!”
@FiscalSense – “The numbers he mentioned about NNPC and health funding are outrageous. Corruption has literally worsened life for ordinary Nigerians.”
@seunalaba – “School fees alone are enough to break most families today. Public education shouldn’t be a luxury.”
@Mrmajek– “Flights that were ₦12k–₦18k are now astronomical. The middle class is disappearing fast.”
@RealityCheckNG – “This thread is an eye-opener. Comparing past vs. present makes you realize how much the average Nigerian is suffering.”
@Lordshuggar – “It’s not just about money. It’s about opportunities. Our youth are losing hope because the economy doesn’t favor them.”
@VoiceOfReasonNG – “Someone needs to make this go viral. People defending the current cost of living clearly don’t understand reality.”
Check out post below …
Published by Ejoh Caleb
