Average Nigerian can survive on N3,000 daily, says Reno Omokri

Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has argued that the average Nigerian can survive on about N3,000 a day, saying poverty benchmarks should take into account the economic realities of individual countries.

Omokri made the claim while appearing on the Sunday Politics television programme, where he discussed the rising cost of living and the application of international poverty standards to Nigeria.

The former presidential aide said he had personally visited markets with a journalist, without security personnel, to check the prices of basic food items including yam, rice, maize and fruits.

According to him, his assessment suggested that N3,000 could provide an average Nigerian with enough basic food to survive for a day.

“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,” Omokri said.

He, however, noted that the same amount would constitute poverty in a country such as the United States because of differences in the cost of living.

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

Omokri also questioned the application of international poverty benchmarks when assessing living conditions in Nigeria.

He referred to the World Bank’s global poverty benchmark, which he described as a measure based on living on less than $2 per day, arguing that such a global standard should be understood within the economic circumstances of the country being assessed.

When asked whether he disagreed with the World Bank’s poverty benchmark, Omokri said the institution was applying a global standard.

“The World Bank is using a global benchmark. And they’ve always used it?” he said.

His comments come amid ongoing debates over Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis, purchasing power and the appropriate measures for assessing poverty and living standards in the country.

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