Rev. Fr. George Ehusan has raised concerns over Nigeria’s worsening poverty, saying the hardship witnessed during President Bola Tinubu’s administration is unlike anything he has seen in his 69 years.
He made the remarks during a television programme in late August 2026 while responding to a comment by Tinubu that hunger had existed in the country before the president was born. Ehusan described that comment as unfortunate and pointed out that the hardship of recent years has no parallel in his lifetime.
The cleric linked the severe hardship to the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, which he said produced a degree of inflation never previously seen in the country.
He noted that prices of many goods rose by hundreds of percent after those measures took effect and that the policies were not well thought out. He argued that the government put the cart before the horse by removing the subsidy without adequate preparation despite having time to plan the change carefully.
The result, according to him, has been multidimensional poverty that has left many Nigerians struggling for basic food.
Ehusan added that he never saw adult men begging on the road for basic foods while growing up in his own environment, and he said the current scale of such begging is new in his experience.
He urged the government to focus on fixing insecurity if it wants to reduce poverty, explaining that insecurity prevents farmers and traders from working and earning sustainable incomes.
He described palliatives as an insult to Nigerians, who he said are hardworking and creative people capable of taking care of themselves when security is provided and basic utilities such as water and power are made available at reachable cost.
He also questioned the timing and likely impact of a recent one billion dollar social protection project launched by the government, calling it a lot of hype that arrived during the election season rather than soon after the 2023 subsidy removal.
Ehusan expressed doubt that large contracts, including one for the Lagos to Calabar coastal highway, would succeed in lifting around 130 million people out of poverty, citing past problems with corruption that prevented funds from reaching the poor. His statements have continued to circulate on social media in the weeks since the original interview.
