Survey shows what Nigerians want from Tinubu’s government

Nigerians want President Bola Tinubu’s led administration to end the lingering cost-of -living crisis that’s hammering their incomes, eliminate rising crime rates and ensure security of lives and properties, according to a survey conducted by Afrobarometer, a pan-African research network.

The survey which sampled opinions of 1,600 Nigerians – nationally spreaded – published in February 2025, revealed that nearly nine in 10 citizens, 88 percent, say the country’s economic condition is “fairly bad” or “very bad,” up 30 percentage points from 2020.

This is as three-fourths, amounting to 74 percent report poor personal living conditions, a resultant effect of key policies implemented by the government all at the same time.

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“Nearly as many citizens say the economy is in bad shape, while three-fourths report poor personal living conditions,” the survey stated.

“The most important problem that Nigerians want the government to address is the increasing cost of living, followed by crime and security, poverty, unemployment, management of the economy, and electricity,” it revealed.

52% disapprove of the removal of fuel subsidies

The Afrobarometer survey also showed that 52 percent of respondents “strongly disapprove” of the government’s decision to remove fuel subsidies; 33 percent “disapprove” while only 12% approve the policy.

Nigeria scrapped the unsustainable and costly petrol subsidies that have kept prices artificially low in a bid to channel the fund used for this purpose to key infrastructural growth for the general benefit of the citizens.

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But this reform saw prices of fuel more than tripled, stoked inflation and consequently, triggered the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation while pushing millions below the poverty line.

The survey shows that almost six in 10, about 58 percent of the respondents say the government should reinstate fuel subsidies even if this means reducing other important expenditures such as health or education,

“A large majority of Nigerians disapprove of the government’s decision to remove fuel subsidies, with more than half calling for their reinstatement even at the expense of other key sectors such as health and education, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

“Almost two years after the elimination of the subsidies, public dissatisfaction with the country’s economic direction has reached record levels. More than nine in 10 Nigerians say the country is heading in the wrong direction,” the report added.