It was hard not to feel a bit of sympathy for Senator Adams Oshiomhole this past week. The former Edo State Governor and current representative for Edo North found himself at the center of a social media firestorm following a television interview that didn’t sit well with a vocal section of the public. His crime? Simply suggesting that for some Nigerians, food has actually become surprisingly affordable lately.
When pressed on whether the government’s radical reforms were crushing the average citizen, Oshiomhole stood his ground. He questioned the vague definition of the “average person” and challenged the notion that everyone is suffering. He pointed out that while critics claim the sky is falling, there are real people on the ground who are actually starting to remark on how cheap food items have become.
This is a sharp turn from just a few months ago. We all remember when the price of a 50kg bag of rice climbed past N100,000, and staples like yam and pepper felt like luxury items. Back then, the digital space was thick with anger directed at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In response, the administration rolled out a series of policies aimed at stabilizing the market. Now that those prices are finally cooling off, the government finds itself in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation.
A personal experience brings this irony home quite clearly. Last May, during a visit to my village for my mother’s funeral, I spoke with a brother-in-law a retired banker who was furious with the President for not opening the borders to flood the market with foreign rice. Fast forward to December, and he was even angrier. The reason? He had turned into a cassava farmer during the price hike and was making a killing. Now that prices have normalized, his “honeymoon” period is over, and his pockets aren’t as full. It turns out his outrage wasn’t about patriotism at all; it was about his own profit margin.
This is why Oshiomhole’s comments, while controversial, aren’t exactly fiction. According to stories shared on Reports, some shoppers are finding that their money goes much further than it used to. One commentator mentioned buying a small amount of tomatoes and pepper only to realize they had enough to feed a small army, eventually having to give half away to family.
In most parts of the world, a drop in the cost of living is cause for celebration. But here, the atmosphere is often poisoned by political cynicism. There is a segment of the online community that seems determined to ignore any progress, fearing that acknowledging a win for the current administration might hurt their preferred candidates in the 2027 elections. It is a strange reality where cheaper food is treated as a problem rather than the relief so many have been praying for.
