FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TRACK PEOPLE POVERTY AND INCOMES -A PROVER TO SHOW GOVERNMENT REFORMS ARE WORKING.

The Federal Government has announced a major policy shift, yesterday Thursday, July 16, 2026 which will focus solely on publishing official indicators to track poverty, incomes, and inequality in Nigeria.

Nigeria Finance Minister, Taiwo Oyedele said the move is proposed to show that President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms such as scrapping fuel subsidy, liberalizing the naira, and changes made to taxing Nigeria has found a way to improve the living standard of people in the country.

For many Nigerians, this announcement comes at a critical time. 2 years after the implementation of polices aimed at improving the standard of living for people, it is very surprising that inflation is very much on the high side. The cost of food and transport costs remains very high. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says after estimation and surveys done has published that 63% of Nigeria’s 200 million people are still in poverty. 

Speaking at a Business Day conference in Lagos, Finance Minister, Taiwo Oyedele said the government will measure the shared prosperity and the increase in the standard of living in the country using 3 metrics. 

Oyedele highlighted the metrics to be used as checking for the reduction in multidimensional poverty which is meant not to focus on the income but Nigerians access to better health care, education water and electricity.

He also said the metric used will check to see if Nigerians are beginning to earn more following the inflation and also how wealth is being distributed fairly.

He highlighted that the goal is to check and publish this regularly so that citizens of the country can check wether these reforms are working.

Since 2023, President Tinubu’s government has faced one major criticism. Citizens claims to see We see macro gains but not in their pockets.

The IMF in June 2026 acknowledged that with the reforms, stability has improved but also flagged that most Nigerians remain poor and food insecure as households are still under financial pressure.

The government plans has however sparked hope in Nigerians has the next 12 months will determine if these policies have worked or or just rhetoric.