The approval of a ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for workers by President Bola Tinubu’s administration is not just inadequate; it is an insult to the intelligence, resilience and daily sacrifices of Nigerian workers, and it raises serious questions about the government’s understanding of the excruciating economic hardship facing ordinary Nigerians.
What exactly can ₦70,000 cover in today’s Nigeria, where survival itself has become a daily battle?
Today, a worker spends over ₦1,500 daily on transportation in most cities. That is more than ₦45,000 a month just to get to work and back. When you add a bag of rice at over ₦80,000, a crate of eggs at ₦6,000, cooking gas at ₦1,500 per kg, house rent that has doubled, school fees that have tripled, and electricity bills that drain salaries before the month ends, what is left for feeding, healthcare and family upkeep?
This is the grim reality we live with. Workers now trek long distances to work because they cannot afford fares. Families skip meals to survive. Parents withdraw their children from schools because they cannot pay fees. Ordinary Nigerians cannot afford hospital bills. Yet the government presents an allowance that barely covers transport fares as a major achievement and expects Nigerians to celebrate it.
The disparity between what ordinary workers earn and the huge financial benefits enjoyed by lawmakers and other political officeholders demands serious public scrutiny. While Nigerians are told to tighten their belts, endure pain and make sacrifices, political officeholders continue to enjoy billions in allowances, luxury SUVs, foreign trips, estacodes and outrageous emoluments. A Senator earns more in allowances in one month than a worker earns in a year. Why should workers be expected to survive on limited, token allowances while the remuneration and privileges of political officeholders remain a subject of public outrage? Where is the justice?
The Tinubu administration removed fuel subsidy, floated the Naira and imposed heavy taxes and levies, promising that the pain would bring gain. Two years after, the pain has only worsened. Inflation is at a historic high, purchasing power has collapsed, the Naira has become almost worthless, and the wider cost-of-living crisis remains completely unresolved. Workers are not asking for charity or pity; they are asking for a living wage and an economy that restores their dignity.
We must also question the timing of this announcement. With the 2027 general election approaching, Nigerians deserve to know whether the government is offering a sustainable solution to workers’ hardship or merely unveiling a measure that could be paraded as a political achievement ahead of the polls. Workers deserve lasting economic relief, not allowances that leave fundamental problems untouched.
What Nigerian workers need is not tokenism. They need more than announcements. They need policies that improve purchasing power, a total overhaul of the transport system to drastically reduce fares, deliberate food security and price control policies to make food and essential goods affordable, a living minimum wage that reflects current economic realities and not 2023 realities, and massive job creation that gives hope to millions of unemployed youths.
A government that wants to earn the confidence of workers must demonstrate that it understands their daily struggles and is prepared to address them through practical and sustainable reforms, not press statements.
Until these fundamentals are addressed, the ₦70,000 transport allowance remains what it truly is — a drop of water in an ocean of hardship. Governance is not about announcements; it is about measurable results that people can feel in their pockets, on their tables and in their daily lives.
President Tinubu and his administration must understand that Nigerians are groaning — the market woman, the okada rider, the civil servant, the farmer, the artisan, the student — everyone is feeling the heat. The 2027 election will provide Nigerians with another opportunity to assess this administration’s record, including its handling of the economy and the welfare of workers. Nigerians will not vote based on allowances announced; they will vote based on how their lives have improved as the time to deliver real, measurable improvements is far gone.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Media Executive to Hon. Toyin Anibire Adams a.k.a. Obailukan,
Founder and Convener, Obailukan Strategic Support Group for Atiku (OSSAT)
