Economic Hardship: Nigerians Lament Increase In Prices Of Food Items
It is no longer news that Nigerians are facing one of the hardest times since the history of the country as people can no longer comfortably afford to eat three square meals.
This economic situation which is affecting various societal class is especially hitting hard on the poor masses and vulnerable in the society.
According to reports, one of the primary factors contributing to the economic hardship in Nigeria is the drastic depreciation of the national currency, the Naira.
Also, the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu upon assuming office on May 29, 2023 drastically affected the nation’s economy.
Recently, the United Nations predicted that 82 million Nigerians which is about 64 per cent of the country’s population, may go hungry by 2030.
This is as the National Bureau of Statistics also revealed that Nigeria’s food inflation rate hit a record high of 40.66 per cent in May 2024, surpassing the previous month’s 40.53 increase making it the largest year-on-year increase in food prices since records began in 1996.
In the light of this, Nigerians are bemoaning the hike in food prices on the grounds that their earnings can no longer cater for their feeding let alone any other area of their lives.
Speaking to our correspondent, one Mr Adebayo Adeyinka, a civil servant revealed that his salary could no longer no anything for him.
He said, “The salary we are collecting is nothing. I can’t even feed my family with it. I have not talk of transport fare and every other thing we need. The painful part is that prices of food keeps getting expensive in the market while our salary remains the same.”
Also, another Nigerian, Mrs Chiamaka Nnodim who is a business woman recounted how she has been struggling to buy her goods (tomatoes) which she sells because of how expensive it is.
In her own words, “I can’t tell you the amount we buy a basket of tomatoes because it is not certain. No be watin I buy today, I go buy tomorrow. The price is always going up. No gain in the business anymore. I am just selling it so I can feed myself and my children. The painful part is that even when we close eyes to buy the goods very expensive people would complain that it is too cost and most times, they won’t buy, leaving the goods to spoil in our hands and that’s a huge loss. The Federal government just have to help us.”
