Award-winning Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has expressed concern over the rising economic hardship in the country, saying even middle-class Nigerians are now struggling to survive.
In a recent interview, Adichie noted that what worries her the most is not government statistics or market figures, but the real-life struggles of ordinary citizens.
“I can see it in how people who were formerly securely middle class—and not that life was rosy for them, but they got by—are now people who beg and who are in need. That worries me greatly,” she said.
She pointed out that the rising cost of food and other essentials has made life unbearable for many families.
Adichie stressed that true leadership should be measured by how citizens live daily, not by economic indicators.
“When people say the stock market, I don’t really care about that sort of thing. What I care about is that person who has an almost minimum wage job—how is that person getting on in this economy?” she asked.
She also warned that continuous hardship could lead people to make desperate decisions they would not normally consider, which could affect the stability of society.
