Nigeria grapples with poverty and insecurity as President Tinubu declares national emergency

A Nigerian citizen posted on social media that, after traveling from Abuja to Edo State to vote for opposition candidate Peter Obi, he was disillusioned by the declared victory of President Bola Tinubu and lamented worsening living conditions, frequent power cuts and health issues. He wrote, “I didn’t vote Tinubu and I’m suffering this much,” and criticized the nation’s hardships and youth disengagement.

President Tinubu used the 2026 May Day celebration to label insecurity and poverty as national emergencies. He announced the Community Protection Guards Initiative, recruiting 45,000 youths for local security, and highlighted social programmes under his Renewed Hope Agenda, including cash transfers to 15 million vulnerable households, lifting an estimated 7.5 million Nigerians out of poverty, and infrastructure projects such as the Lagos‑Calabar Coastal Highway and the Ajaokuta‑Kaduna‑Kano Gas Pipeline that have generated over 600,000 jobs. Tinubu warned, “There cannot be decent work where workers fear for their lives or where wages cannot feed a family.”