By Aminu Abubakar
Residents across Northern Nigeria have described worsening living conditions and escalating food prices as economic hardship tightens its grip in 2026, with many households saying survival has become a daily struggle amid rising inflation, fuel subsidy removal, and global economic shocks.
From Kano to Sokoto, Zamfara to Niger States, citizens say the cost of basic food items and transportation has reached levels that make budgeting nearly impossible, forcing families to make difficult choices between feeding, schooling, and other essential needs.
A SolaceBase investigation conducted between January and June 2026 revealed that many Nigerians are experiencing one of the most severe cost-of-living crisis in recent memory, with workers, traders, artisans, and students all affected. Many of those who spoke during this investigation noted that they are hanging on to hopes of ease in market prices of goods and services.
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Sunusi Uba Muhammad, a local government worker in Kano, said the situation has become increasingly unbearable for low-income earners.
“The amount we earn is no longer enough to meet our daily needs,” he told SolaceBase. “Last year, a litre of petrol sold for less than 1,000 Naira, but now it costs nearly N1,400 and that has made the economic situation even more difficult.” He added that the salary is not enough to cover his daily needs.
“My salary is no longer covering my daily needs”
He appealed for urgent government attention to vulnerable workers.
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“I urge the government to pay attention to low-level workers and small business owners because they are in urgent need of support,” he said.
At Northwest University, Kano, staff member Yahya Annawawee said workers are facing unprecedented economic strain, noting that inflation and transportation costs have combined to reduce real incomes sharply.
He added that broader global tensions, including the US-Israel-Iran conflict, have worsened already fragile economic conditions.
Muhammad argued that raising wages alone would not resolve the structural crisis.
“Raising the minimum wage will not, by itself end the economic hardship workers are facing. The government needs to understand the impact that subsidy removal has had on ordinary Nigerians. The withdrawal of support in key areas of life has placed workers and many other citizens under severe pressure,” he said.
In the private sector, Salim Labaran, a phone and accessories dealer at Farm Center Market in Kano, said 2026 has been the hardest year in his trading experience.
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“Business activities have declined significantly, while household and family responsibilities continue to increase,” he said. “Some days we come to the market and return home without making a single sale.”
Hamza Abubakar Muhammad, a tailor in Fagge, also described worsening conditions for artisans, citing rising costs of materials and unreliable electricity supply as major challenges.
“Almost everything we earn goes into purchasing work materials because prices have increased sharply,” he said. “We now rely on credit for work materials, charcoal for pressing clothes and other tailoring supplies because of the lack of electricity.”
Students are not spared from the hardship. Ashiru Adamu, a student at Bayero University Kano, said rising transportation and food costs have made academic life increasingly difficult.
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He noted that government intervention schemes, particularly the NELFUND student loan programme, are not providing consistent relief.
“NELFUND may pay in the middle of a month, and then students sometimes wait almost 50 days before receiving another payment,” he said. “The support is not enough, and there is no fixed payment schedule.”
