Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, made the remarks during an interview on the Policy Without Politics (PWP) podcast on Friday. A clip from the interview was circulated on Sunday.
Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 after years of military administration, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo taking over from Abdulsalami Abubakar, the then military head of state.
Since then, the country has had six civilian presidents, with President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking re-election, becoming the sixth.
The performance of successive democratic administrations has, however, remained a subject of debate, particularly regarding whether Nigerians are better off today than they were under previous governments.
‘We are really not in a democracy’
Duke argued that Nigeria had failed to achieve meaningful economic growth despite its rising population and increased government budgets.
“We’re really not in a democracy. It’s a facade. And with each cycle, we get poorer,” he said.»
The PRP candidate said Nigerians were “much better off” in 1999, describing the country at the time as more affordable.
“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,” he said.
Duke also compared Nigeria’s budget and population figures, arguing that the country had not experienced significant economic growth when measured against the depreciation of the naira and population increase.
He said Nigeria’s annual budget during the administration of the late former President Shehu Shagari in the early 1980s averaged about $25 billion, when the country’s population was approximately 70 million.
According to him, Nigeria’s budget remains around the same dollar value despite the population having grown substantially.
“Today, our population is anywhere between 200 and 250 million. We don’t know. But our budget is still hovering around $25 billion,” Duke 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.”
Duke also linked Nigeria’s security challenges, including Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and kidnapping, to worsening economic conditions.
“Boko Haram, they are not religious fanatics. They’re just economic banditry. Then you have the bandits and the kidnappers,” he said.
He argued that the primary responsibility of government should be to create an environment where citizens can work, thrive and contribute productively to the economy.
“The essence of having a government in place is to ensure the optimal productivity of citizens within a safe and orderly environment,” he said.
Duke further criticised the use of foreign reserves as a major indicator of economic progress, saying greater attention should be given to employment and citizens’ productivity.
“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,” he said.
He added that government policies should ultimately be focused on improving the productivity of Nigerians.
“Everything, whether it’s schooling, education or whatever you are doing, should be geared towards the productivity of our citizens. I think that is the kernel of government,” Duke said.
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