Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has argued that the average Nigerian can live on N3,000 a day, saying poverty should be assessed within the economic realities of individual countries.

Omokri made the claim while appearing on Sunday Politics, a television programme where he discussed the rising cost of living and international poverty benchmarks.

He said he personally visited markets with a journalist, without security personnel, to check the prices of basic food items including yam, rice, maize and fruits.

According to him, his assessment showed that N3,000 could sustain a Nigerian for a day, although the same amount would constitute poverty in the United States.

“In Nigeria, people can live on that amount in a day. But in the United States, if you try to live on that amount in a day, it is poverty. So, you have to context, again, context matters,” he said.

Omokri also questioned the direct application of international poverty benchmarks to Nigeria, distinguishing between global standards used by institutions such as the World Bank and the actual cost of living in individual countries.

He said the World Bank’s poverty benchmark was a global measure and argued that the economic circumstances of Nigerians should be considered when assessing poverty in the country.