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‘₦3,000 Is Enough For Average Nigerian To Live Daily’ – Reno Omokri

Key Takeaways

  • Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, said ₦3,000 can sustain an average Nigerian for one day, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
  • Omokri said he based the claim on a market survey with a journalist, checking prices of yam, rice, maize and fruits without security.
  • He argued that the World Bank’s less-than $2-a-day poverty benchmark must reflect each country’s cost of living, saying ₦3,000 would not cover basics in the US.

Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has said ₦3,000 can sustain the average Nigerian for a day.

Naija News reports that Omokri made the remark on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, while discussing the rising cost of living and international poverty standards.

Recounting his market survey with a journalist, Omokri argued that poverty should be assessed based on each country’s economic realities.

According to Omokri, while ₦3,000 would be enough for Nigerian daily needs, the same amount would not be enough to meet basic needs in the United States because of the difference in living costs.

He said, “I went to the market with a journalist, without security, and checked the prices of yam, rice, maize and fruits. From what I saw, N3,000 is enough for an average Nigerian to live on for a day.

“But in the United States, if you try to live on that amount in a day, it is poverty. So, you have to context, again, context matters.”

Speaking about the World Bank’s global poverty benchmark, the ambassador-designate said international standards should not be viewed without considering each country’s economic conditions.

Omokri added that the global benchmark of living on less than $2 a day was different from assessing poverty based on the actual cost of living in Nigeria.

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