VIDEO: N5,000 for tomatoes, pepper, actress Ruth Kadiri laments rising cost of living
Popular Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Ruth Kadiri, on Wednesday, expressed concern over the rise in the cost of living in Nigeria, lamenting that basic feeding has become an agonising luxury for the average citizen.
Popular Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Ruth Kadiri, on Wednesday, expressed concern over the rise in the cost of living in Nigeria, lamenting that basic feeding has become an agonising luxury for the average citizen.
In a video shared via her official Instagram page, the movie producer opened up about her frustrations, stating that the current economic reality is taking a heavy psychological toll on families across the country.
Kadiri pointed out the disparity between the current cost of market commodities and the monthly earnings of average Nigerians, stressing that basic ingredients alone now wipe out significant portions of disposable income.
She said, “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.
“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. A basket of tomatoes, we don’t even want to say that. You know, the cost of feeding, which is basic in Nigeria, is now so high.”
The actress went ahead to analyse how extreme economic pressure alters human behaviour and deteriorates mental well-being, warning that prolonged hardship risks turning citizens against one another as displaced frustration is frequently taken out on innocent relatives.
“I don’t know if they want us to turn against ourselves,” Kadiri continued. “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. I woke up this morning, I’m sober, and I just feel sad for people out there who do not know.
“Because a lot of people are just going to be angry for the sake of it. Angry at their wives, angry at their kids, angry at their husbands. Oh my God.”
PUNCH Online reported in March 2026 that Nollywood actor Kunle Remi, similarly, joined the outcry over the rising cost of fuel and the nation’s economic state, describing the decision to “stay out of politics” as the “most stupid statement” any Nigerian can make in the current climate.
𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐍𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬, 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐊𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠
“As a human being, I’m not known for complaining. But you see, the past couple of days have been so troubling for me.… pic.twitter.com/CYT7AWua9p
