One meal a day, borrowed money, dying dreams: How Nigeria’s inflation is breaking families apart

Food inflation surging to 20.31 per cent in July 2026 has pushed millions of Nigerian households to desperate measures — skipping meals, pulling children from private schools, surviving on loans and relying on traditional savings schemes just to put food on the table.

As reported by Daily Post, the human cost behind the statistics is devastating. Father of five Segun Michael in Abeokuta said his salary disappears the day it arrives. Father of four Abolore Akanmu admits “I’m paying the loan with another loan.” Fruit vendor Abike Alade notes that N50,000 once stocked her entire stall — now it buys almost nothing.

Small currency denominations — N5, N10, N20 — have been effectively rejected from market transactions because nothing sells for those amounts anymore. Families that once spent N20,000 monthly on food now need N40,000 for the same basket.

President Tinubu, however, maintained Thursday that subsidy removal was “benefiting ordinary Nigerians,” saying savings were being channelled into salaries and road projects — a claim that rang hollow for millions navigating daily hunger.