Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke,
has said Nigerians were better off in 1999 than they are now despite having experienced 26 years of unbroken democracy rule.
Duke, former governor of Cross River state, disclosed this during an interview on the Policy Without Politics (PWP) podcast, a clip of which circulated on Sunday.
Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 after years of military rule, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo took over from then military head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Nigeria has had six civilian presidents since democratic rule returned in 1999, with President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking re-election, being the sixth leader
According to Duke, Nigeria had failed to record noteworthy economic growth despite its growing population and increased budgetary allocations over the years.
“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 added that Nigeria’s budget remains around the same value despite its population having witnessed significant growth.
“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.
“We call it trillions because of the devaluation and all that. At that time, the naira was N1 to $1. Today, it’s around N1,400 to a dollar. So, we have not grown.”
He said the country’s security challenges, including Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and kidnapping, were largely driven by economic hardship.
“Boko Haram, they are not religious fanatics. They’re just economic banditry. Then you have the bandits and the kidnappers,” Duke said.
According to him, the primary duty of the government is to create an environment where citizens can attain productivity.
“The essence of having a government in place is to ensure the optimal productivity of citizens within a safe and orderly environment.
“Let’s stop measuring the progress of our economy by the amount of dollars or foreign currency we have in our reserves because that only means that you want to import more things all the time,” added Duke.
