VIDEO: N5,000 for tomatoes, pepper, actress Ruth Kadiri laments rising cost of living

Popular Nollywood actress and filmmaker Ruth Kadiri has voiced her deep concern over Nigeria's escalating cost of living, describing basic sustenance as an "agonizing luxury" for many citizens. In an Instagram video, she shared her personal struggles and the profound psychological toll the current economic reality is inflicting on families nationwide.

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As a human being, I’m not known for complaining. But you see, the past couple of days have been so troubling for me. Because if somebody like me can start to feel the brunt of the heaviness of being a human being, I wonder what other people are going through.

Kadiri pointed to the stark contrast between the prices of essential market commodities and the average Nigerian's monthly earnings. She lamented that just buying basic ingredients like tomatoes and pepper can now consume a substantial chunk of disposable income. "Somebody will use N5,000 to buy pepper and tomato. Like, N5,000. While somebody else out there is probably earning 25, 30, 40, N50,000. But you are only using 5,000 to buy tomatoes and peppers," she stated.

The actress further analyzed how extreme economic pressure can alter human behavior and deteriorate mental well-being. She cautioned that sustained hardship risks fostering animosity among citizens, as frustration may be displaced onto innocent relatives. "I don’t know if they want us to turn against ourselves," Kadiri said. "Because people who are not sensitive will start looking at ourselves as the enemies. Poverty, what poverty does to people’s minds is like cancer to the mind, to the brain. It eats it away."

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The cost of tomatoes is now so high. Like, somebody will use N5,000 to buy pepper and tomato. Like, N5,000. While somebody else out there is probably earning 25, 30, 40, N50,000. But you are only using 5,000 to buy tomatoes and peppers.

Kadiri's sentiments echo broader public anxieties about the nation's economic state. Previously, Nollywood actor Kunle Remi had also spoken out about the rising cost of fuel and the economic climate, calling any decision to "stay out of politics" a "stupid statement" in the current circumstances.

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I don’t know if they want us to turn against ourselves. Because people who are not sensitive will start looking at ourselves as the enemies. Poverty, what poverty does to people’s minds is like cancer to the mind, to the brain. It eats it away.