By Elizabeth Adegbesan
Nigerians have continued to embrace several challenges these few years in order to meet up with the dropping living standards.
The recent removal of fuel subsidy has not gone down well with some Nigerians. This has resulted in the invention and adoption of new methods to meet up with the increasing prices of goods and services.
Mr. Oluwamuyiwa Adesanya, a vulcanizer at Ikorodu, had to increase the price of pumping a tire, which was N200 to N300, but has been unable to meet up with his normal expenses daily.
“The subsidy removal has affected the masses most. I had to increase the price of pumping a tire to N300, from N200. Other business persons have also increased the prices of their goods and services.
“Even shop and house rents are not exempted. My landlord increased my rent of N80,000 annually to N120,000.
“I have planned to move to a single room, as my rent ends in April, next year. I will be able to save and utilise my savings well.
“I am single and plan to get married before December but, the way things are now, I have decided to postpone the wedding till further notice. I have also cut down on daily expenses such as the upkeep for my parents, food, and water, which I now use five litres-gallon to fetch from the tap, instead of buying a bag of ‘pure water’. I have also cut down on transportation, because before I used to board Keke to my place of work at N100, which has now increased to N150. Now, I have to trek the distance, leave home very early, and board a Keke back home at the close of work.
For Mr. Chukwuma Okoli, a spare part dealer at Igando, the situation has made him abandon his car at home and now go by bus at N200, to his shop from his home at Igbo-elerin.
“This subsidy removal and naira depreciation has really affected us, especially the business owners, both at home and at work.
“Paying school fees and feeding is something else. Even those doing two side hustles are struggling to meet up with their household needs.
“Before, I used to power my generator set all day in my shop. But now I power it only in the afternoon when the weather is hot. I have not bought fuel, since the weather is cold for some time, due to rain which I never did before.
“Also, I drive to my shop and some other important places before with my air conditioner switched on. But I have parked my car seeing the cost of fuelling a full tank has doubled. I now spend N600 per day moving from my house to my shop which is not up to N15,000 in a month instead of buying a full tank for over N30,000. Some friends who used to enjoy AC while driving now wind down in traffic to reduce fuel consumption.
“I have also reduced pocket money for my kids as my wife and I decided we will spend more on food instead which is their basic need.
“I also changed the Television package I used to subscribe to, for a less paid one.
Even the children understand and no one is complaining. The day they see pocket money they are happy and when they don’t, they endure.”
Also, the Head of Administration in one of the national newspapers, who just identified himself as Mr Balogun, said: “Pre-fuel Pump price increase, I used to power my generator set between 9 pm to 12 midnight, but now from 9:30 pm to 11 pm saving a couple of hours consumption.
“I equally discovered shorter routes to and fro work saving about N300 daily. These are just a few lifestyles I adjusted to.”
Mrs Awele Christiana, a private secondary school teacher complained bitterly of the prices of foodstuff including tomatoes which have tripled within a few weeks.
She noted that buying food in bits doesn’t pay anymore because you end up on the losing side hence she needed to buy foodstuff in bulk and cut down on food portions for her family.
“The increase in fuel pump price has resulted in the increase of everything in the market. You know how Nigerians seize every opportunity to extort from buyers giving one excuse or the other.
“I now buy food in bulk because buying in bits ends you on the losing side. I have also cut down on food portions. There is no longer eating to be satisfied, but just eating something.
“My salary and that of my husband were not increased after the increase in fuel pump price, so what do you expect? Before I used to spend N600 to and fro work but now I spend N800 sometimes N1000.
“We now use solar lamps instead of powering the generating set every day. I have also put out an application to schools closer to my house to reduce transport fares and also plan of moving my children to a nearby school.
“This will help cut down on all these compulsory expenses.”
Mr. Lukeman Owonikoko, a commercial bus driver, lamented bitterly on the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy on his business.
He said he now does fewer trips than his usual seven to eight in a day to manage fuel consumption, noting that people now hardly move about resulting in less patronage of his business.
“This increased fuel price has really affected commercial bus drivers. Before, I used to buy fuel of N3,000 to go for four to five trips, depending on the distance of your route. Now that amount of fuel can hardly go for three trips.
“The development has made us lose patronage as many now sit at home to save money for other important things.
“I have to reduce my seven to eight trips. Now, I do less than six trips a day and avoid routes with higher traffic jams to save fuel.
“I also reduce the price of journeys in the afternoons to a reasonable and affordable cost, and balance it up at evenings during rush hours.”
Commenting on the situation, Mrs Bumi Eboreme, a headmistress noted that the aftermath of the increased fuel pump price which is affecting children’s punctuality in school will result in a late payment or none payment of school fees which would tend to increase child labour.
“The situation has marred the punctuality of children in school. There is the tendency that many average-earning parents will not be able to meet early payment of their ward’s school fees, or even become debtors.
“If this should occur, many wards will be sent home because no school will be able to accommodate debt with the situation of things in the country. They need money to run the school.
“There will be increased child labour. Prior to the development, many children were seen on the street either begging or washing cars in traffic jams.
“We have designed a school fees payment pattern for parents, where they now pay thrice in a term.”
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/07/improvised-lifestyles-nigerians-adopt-to-survive-subsidy-removal/
