₦3,000 Daily Budget? Onoh Blasts Reno Omokri’s Claim as ‘Detached From Reality’

Former South-East spokesman to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Josef Onoh, has criticised former presidential aide Reno Omokri over his claim that an average Nigerian can comfortably survive on a daily budget of ₦3,000.

Onoh described the claim as economically unrealistic and disconnected from the harsh cost-of-living realities confronting Nigerian households.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Onoh acknowledged that ₦3,000 daily amounts to about ₦90,000 monthly, which is above the ₦70,000 national minimum wage. However, he argued that such a calculation fails to consider the structure of Nigerian families and the rising cost of food and essential services.

According to him, a household of five living on ₦3,000 a day would have just ₦600 per person, an amount he said would be inadequate for a nutritious meal, let alone expenses such as transportation, healthcare, education and clothing.

Onoh also pointed to rising food prices, arguing that the cost of staples, vegetables and protein has significantly reduced the purchasing power of low- and middle-income families.

He said economic realities also vary between rural and urban communities, noting that city residents face additional expenses such as electricity, fuel and transportation, while some rural households may offset part of their food costs through subsistence farming.

The former presidential spokesman warned that using the ₦70,000 minimum wage to justify a ₦3,000 daily survival threshold could amount to normalising poverty instead of addressing the economic pressures facing Nigerians.

Onoh argued that households spending a large proportion of their income on food would have little left for healthcare, education, savings and other necessities.

He urged Omokri to ensure that his public commentary reflects what he described as the actual financial pressures confronting Nigerian families.

Onoh also called on government officials and public representatives to make citizens’ welfare a priority, stressing that the well-being of Nigerians should be treated as a responsibility of government.