Nigerians were better off in 1999 than today – Duke

Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate Donald Duke has said Nigerians were better off in 1999 than they are today, arguing that 26 years of constitutional democracy have failed to deliver meaningful economic improvement.

Duke, a former Cross River State governor, made the assessment during an interview on the Policy Without Politics podcast, a clip of which circulated on Sunday.

Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 after years of military government, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo taking over from the then Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar. The country has since had six civilian presidents, with President Bola Tinubu currently seeking re-election.

However, Duke argued that the country had become poorer despite population growth and larger nominal budgets, describing the democratic system as a façade.

“We’re really not in a democracy. It’s a facade. And with each cycle, we get poorer,” he said.

“I can say to you very clearly that in 1999, the people were better off than they are today, in 2026. They were much better off. The country was more affordable.”

Duke compared Nigeria’s economic position with the early 1980s, saying the country’s annual budget under the administration of former President Shehu Shagari averaged about $25bn when the population was roughly 70 million.

“Today, our population is anywhere between 200 and 250 million. We don’t know. But our budget is still hovering around $25 billion,” he said, adding that naira devaluation had masked the lack of real economic growth.

“We call it trillions because of the devaluation and all that. At that time, the naira was ₦1 to $1. Today, it’s around ₦1,400 to a dollar. So, we have not grown.”

The PRP candidate also linked Nigeria’s security problems, including Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and kidnapping, to economic hardship, arguing that government’s fundamental responsibility should be to create conditions that allow citizens to work and become productive.

“The essence of having a government in place is to ensure the optimal productivity of citizens within a safe and orderly environment,” he said.

Duke further argued that employment and productivity should be given greater weight than foreign reserves when assessing the strength of Nigeria’s economy. “Let’s measure the value of our economy by the number of people who are working,” he said.