**ENUGU JUST BECAME NIGERIA’S MOST EXPENSIVE STATE — AND IT’S NOT LAGOS’ FAULT. YOUR STATE IS FAILING YOU WITHOUT MERCY.**

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### **IF YOU THINK LAGOS IS EXPENSIVE, TRY LIVING IN A STATE THAT TAXES ITS PEOPLE INTO POVERTY**

Let me be brutally honest with you.

You don’t need to live in Lagos to feel broke.

Because now, Enugu is officially Nigeria’s most expensive state to live in — and the reason isn’t inflation…

It’s your own government.

Yes.

The same people who are supposed to serve you?

They’re robbing you blind under the guise of “development.”

35.98% inflation.

That’s not a number.

That’s a war on the poor.

And it’s happening in Enugu.

A place once known for coal, culture, and community…

Now known for crushing taxes, hunger, and hopelessness.

—

### **THE TRUTH HURTS — AND IT STARTS WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT**

Let me ask you something:

What kind of leadership turns *bread sellers* and *keke riders* into tax slaves?

What kind of administration forces market women to pay *sanitation fees*, *trader levies*, *signage charges*, and *tenement rates*… all before they even open shop?

This isn’t governance.

This is exploitation.

This is tyranny dressed up as economic policy.

And the result?

A bag of garri that used to cost ₦800 now costs over ₦1,400.

Why?

Because your government taxed the trader.

The trader taxed the seller.

And the seller taxed *you*.

Welcome to Enugu — Nigeria’s new capital of poverty.

—

### **THE MATH DOESN’T LIE — YOU’RE EARNING LESS WHILE PAYING MORE**

Here’s what the numbers say:

– **Average income in Enugu**: Just under ₦70,000 per month.
– **Average monthly expenses**: Over ₦350,000.

Do you understand what this means?

You’re not just broke.

You’re mathematically doomed.

Your government is giving you a life sentence of debt without even locking you up.

Meanwhile, they’re celebrating their internally generated revenue (IGR) like it’s some kind of trophy.

But here’s the truth:

You’re not funding development.

You’re funding corruption.

You’re paying for white elephant projects.

You’re paying for luxury cars.

You’re paying so politicians can flex at weddings while your kids go hungry.

That’s not IGR.

That’s **I Got Robbed**.

—

### **NAKED TRUTH: YOUR GOVERNMENT ISN’T DEVELOPING YOU — THEY’RE DEVOURING YOU**

Governor Mbah says he wants 3 million tourists a year.

Great.

But how many *local residents* can afford to eat?

He announced a ₦971 billion budget.

Fantastic.

But where’s the relief?

Where’s the price control?

Where’s the tax cut?

Where’s the mercy?

Until you stop taxing bread, transport, and survival itself…

You’re not governing.

You’re starving your people.

And if you think this won’t backfire…

Just wait.

Because when people have nothing left to lose…

They start taking things back.

—

### **CASE STUDY: OGBETE MARKET — WHERE DREAMS GO TO DIE**

Chinenye Ugwu, a trader at Ogbete Market, puts it best:

> “The government collects taxes from every angle—tenement rates, sanitation, signage, petty trader levies. They tax the bread seller and the keke rider. These costs are passed on to consumers. That’s why a paint of garri that used to cost ₦800 now sells for over ₦1,400.”

This isn’t economics.

This is extortion.

And it’s happening across the state.

Traders forced to pay multiple levies.

Transporters forced to bribe or pay tolls daily.

Artisans taxed for tools.

Farmers taxed for land.

Small businesses taxed into extinction.

Tell me again how this is development?

No wonder people are leaving.

No wonder markets are dying.

No wonder Enugu is becoming a ghost town with a high price tag.

—

### **WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN — AND WHY YOUR SILENCE IS KILLING YOU**

Listen carefully.

This isn’t just about complaining on WhatsApp.

This is about action.

Real, painful, uncomfortable action.

#### ✅ Cut Taxes Immediately
Stop taxing basic goods and services. If you can’t afford to govern without bleeding the people dry, then we are done for.

#### ✅ Audit All Revenue Agencies
Find out where the money is going. Because we all know it’s not going into roads, schools, or hospitals.

#### ✅ Freeze Prices on Basic Commodities
Use the budget to subsidize food, fuel, and transport — not fancy conferences and foreign trips.

#### ✅ Empower Citizens, Not Bureaucrats
Create jobs. Support entrepreneurs. Let people survive without begging for permits and licenses.

#### ✅ Hold Leaders Accountable
If your governor and his ministers aren’t living by the same standards as the people — fire them.

—

### **FINAL WARNING: IF YOU DON’T STAND UP NOW, YOU’LL BE FORCED TO FIGHT LATER**

Let me end with a hard truth.

This isn’t just an economic crisis.

It’s a political time bomb.

And it’s ticking loud in Enugu.

People are tired.

People are angry.

People are watching.

And soon, they won’t just be watching…

They’ll be rising.

Because when a government forgets its duty to protect…

It becomes the enemy of the people.

And no amount of spin, propaganda, or social media posts will save them when the storm hits.

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### **CALL TO ACTION: SHARE THIS POST. ORGANIZE YOUR COMMUNITY. DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY. AND REMEMBER — THE RICH AREN’T GETTING RICHER BY WORKING HARDER. THEY’RE DOING IT BY TAKING FROM YOU. STOP THEM. NOW.**

Because until Enugu wakes up…

It will remain Nigeria’s most expensive graveyard.

—

**#UnbelievableEnugu #CostOfLivingCrisis #TaxationWithoutRepresentation #EnuguIsBleeding #ChrisOkoyeWasHere #EndTheSilence**

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**P.S.** If you finish reading this and don’t share it, call someone in power, or join a civic group — you’re not just silent.

You’re complicit.

Fix it. Now.

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