APC Supporter Breaks Down in Tears: ‘My ₦85k Can’t Feed Me’
A video in which a man who describes himself as a supporter of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) says his ₦85,000 monthly income can no longer feed him has drawn widespread reaction online, becoming the latest flashpoint in the country’s deepening cost-of-living crisis.
In the clip, shared widely on social media, the man sets out his frustration in blunt terms. ‘My 85,000 monthly can’t feed me again,’ he says. ‘The Nigerian economy put me in such a tight corner. 85k monthly income is nothing to write home about. I can only eat and go to work.’
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His identity was not disclosed in the clip. The comments have provoked a mix of sympathy and criticism, with some users questioning why he expected personal reward for his political support and others saying his experience mirrors that of millions of Nigerians whose wages have failed to keep pace with prices.
What makes the complaint notable is the figure. At ₦85,000 a month, the man earns more than Nigeria’s national minimum wage of ₦70,000, which President Bola Tinubu signed into law in July 2024 and which took effect from 1 May that year. The fact that a salary above the statutory floor still falls short of basic needs is the crux of the debate the video has reignited.
The numbers behind the complaint
Nigeria’s food basket has become sharply more expensive since the government removed petrol subsidies and liberalised the foreign exchange market in 2023.
Fuel prices of between ₦1,300 and ₦1,400 per litre have pushed up transport costs, feeding directly into market prices.
Indicative market figures published in 2026 illustrate the squeeze on ordinary earners. Prices vary by location, quality and season, but the broad picture is stark.
| Item (indicative 2026 price) | Cost | Share of a ₦85,000 monthly income |
|---|---|---|
| 50kg bag of local rice | About ₦82,000 | About 96% |
| 50kg bag of garri | About ₦40,662 | About 48% |
| One pot of jollof rice (family of five) | About ₦30,435 | About 36% |
The National Bureau of Statistics reported that headline inflation eased to 15.43 per cent in July 2026, but food inflation climbed to 20.31 per cent, its highest level in about a year, according to figures cited by The Sun. SBM Intelligence’s Jollof Index found that a worker on the ₦70,000 minimum wage could afford only two pots of jollof rice for a family of five before exhausting a month’s pay, with a single pot costing ₦30,435, up 19.4 per cent from ₦25,486.
The World Bank’s April 2026 Nigeria Development Update put the country’s poverty rate at 63 per cent, meaning roughly 140 million Nigerians live below the poverty line, up from 56 per cent two years earlier, as reported by The Sun.
Wages falling behind the market
Organised labour has warned that the minimum wage has already been eroded. The Nigeria Labour Congress has said it expects fresh negotiations with the Federal Government, with figures far above ₦70,000 under discussion. Under the Minimum Wage Act of 2024, the next statutory review is due in 2027, after Tinubu reduced the review cycle from five years to three.
Economic analyst Basil Abia said on Arise News that the current wage floor is no longer sustainable, arguing that a realistic minimum would be around ₦145,000 to ₦150,000 and that the average food basket now runs to between ₦140,000 and ₦150,000.
Political fallout ahead of 2027
The video lands in a heated political climate. Similar clips have circulated in recent years. In mid-2025, a man who had campaigned for Tinubu and threatened to burn his international passport if the president lost went viral after saying he no longer had money to buy fuel. In 2026, footage showed a driver confronting APC campaigners over hardship, and others showed crowds queuing for food handouts.
The government’s messaging has also drawn scrutiny. In 2026, the Ondo State APC chairman, Babatunde Kolawole, said at an event that ‘all Nigerians are eating three square meals’ under Tinubu, a claim widely disputed amid persistent inflation. Human-rights activist Aisha Yesufu drew attention to videos of cash handouts at political events, arguing that small payments let the party govern without accountability.
Political activity is intensifying ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the APC expected to seek a second term for Tinubu.
The government’s reform defence
The Federal Government has defended its economic programme, describing the removal of fuel subsidies and the naira’s liberalisation as necessary steps to stabilise public finances and attract investment. Official figures cited in local media showed real gross domestic product grew 4.43 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, up from 4.23 per cent a year earlier.
Tinubu himself used his 2026 Workers’ Day address to describe poverty and insecurity as national emergencies threatening jobs, productivity and social stability, an acknowledgement that the benefits of reform have yet to reach many households.