Nigeria, May 16 -- In Nigeria, budget season is often a grand affair. Governors, flanked by aides, arrive at the Houses of Assembly to present appropriation bills with lofty titles like "Budget of Renewed Hope" or "Budget of Consolidation."

But behind the grand speeches and glossy documents lies a quieter reality, one that affects the ordinary citizen like 26-year-old Musa Abdul*, a Basic Science teacher in Yobe State who has not received his N70,000 monthly salary since his employment in 2022.

The rising cost of living, worsened by President Bola Tinubu's removal of petrol subsidies and the floating of the naira in 2023, adds to the woes of Mr Abdul and countless others across Nigeria.

This is despite PREMIUM TIMES' calculation showin...