Wit di way inflation dey rise, wey dey make tins especially food items to cost well well for Nigeria, e dey very hard for pipo to cope.
Hunger dey show many pipo pepper for different parts of di kontri and e don lead to protests across di kontri.
Last Thursday, 15 February, 2024 Nigeria President Bola Tinubu say “Nigeria fit feed herself”.
Oga Bola Tinubu add say “for di interest of di kontri goment no go import food.”
President Tinubu also bin set up committee wey go cook eye for di hunger and scarcity of food mata for di kontri.
E also direct di oga of all security agencies for Nigeria to collabo wit govnors to end di way wey pipo dey hide food commodities for di kontri to make extra profit or punish Nigerians.
Dis na measures wey di Nigeria goment dey put in place to make sure say e reduce di suffering of Nigerians.
But as e be so pipo still dey protest about di high cost of living, especially as prices of goods and services dey change per second per second.
See di prices of tins before and now
For Nigeria now, e dey hard to go market price sometin, den comeback di next day and meet di tin for di same price.
According to sabi pipo, di National Bureau of Statistics for Nigeria, inflation for di West African kontri increase to almost 30 percent for January.
Di lowest inflation rate for both food and oda tins happun between 2013 to 2016.
From 2017 inflation almost hit 20 percent but e later drop between 2019 and 2021.
Food hit 20 percent inflation for 2021, e drop e drop samll for 2022, but from 2023 e just dey goup steady.
As e be so, di inflation rat for food don high pass oda services.
How pipo go take survive dis hardship?
Hauwa Mustapha, wey be economist and analyst wey tok to BBC Pidgin, say di following measures fit help:
1. Grow your food: Even though insecurity don affect food production for many parts of di kontri, madam Mustapha tok say pipo fit at least grow di food wey dem dey chop.
“You fit plant vegetables, tomatoes, pepper, etc for your garden, for your backyard or even for inside sack bags. Dis go help reduce di money you go spend for dis items,” she tok.
“For pipo in rural areas wia springs and streams dey, you fit dey go dia to collect water instead of to dey buy sachet water all di time. We bin dey do am bifor, we no die finish.”
2. Reduce your waka waka: She also tok say make pipo reduce dia waka becos e dey make you spend more money on transport.
“Even work, wen e dey possible to work from home, maybe two times for week, den work from home, e go bring down your fuel consumption if you get car, or reduce your transportation cost for pipo wey no get car.”
She tok say goment suppose also reduce di days wey workers dey go office physically.
“Plenty ways dey to fit make dis happun, especially as goment work na so so paper work, pipo fit work from home and e get ways to still measure dia productivity,” she tok.
3. Reduce your energy cost: As many pipo don dey use prepaid metres for dia houses and cost of electricity tariffs don also high, pipo suppose dey manage dia electricity.
Turn off your bulbs and electrical appliances wey no dey in use, check which one dey cheaper for you whether to cook wit gas or electricity, becos even cooking gas don rise now, she tok.
4. Price control mechanism: Madam Mustapha tok say dis one na wetin goment suppose do to make sure say prices dey stable small.
“A situation wia a paint bucket of garri na N2000 now and tomorrow na N2,200 no dey good at all. Prices no suppose dey rise fast fast like dat. Goment suppose put in place a price control mechanism, to ensure some sort of stability,” she tok.
Also, too much taxes on vehicles wey dey carry food items from one state to anoda, suppose stop bicos na wetin follow dey drive up food prices.
Mustapha tok say she for recommend bulk buying, “but wia you see money to buy in bulk? And again if you buy in bulk, wia di electricity dey to preserve am?”
Alexa Wilcox wey be financial expert don also chook mouth for dis survival mata.
Im tell BBC Pidgin say “Nigerian too dey panic, and dem dey respond negatively to situations sharp sharp.
Im explain say Nigerians too dey take advantage of situations like dis food scarcity to exploit pipo and make excess money.
“I advice evribody to dey calm, we be kontri wey dey too exploitative, so wen situations like dis happun wetin Nigerians dey expect dey dey higher”.
According to di financial expert, some of di tins Nigerians go do to survive dis hardship na:
Avoid panic buying: Make pipo no dey in a hurry to buy items wey dem no need. Make pipo buy only essentials, wetin you need for now.
Reduce expenditure: At dis time if you no fit increase your income reduce your expenditure. E say Nigerians sabi spend well well, and dem dey spend extravagantly, now no be di time. Make conscious effort to reduce your excessive spending.
Cut down on waste: Nigerian sabi waste tins well well, make dem cut down on party and oda personal and traditional ceremonies wey dem dey always celebrate.
E add say poor pipo even waste tins pass di rich, especially if dem wan ‘show-off’.
“E no compulsory to buy Asoebi by dis time becos your friend wan do party. Naming ceremony and all dos religious and traditional tins wey no dey important cut dem down” Oga Alexa explain.
Im add say dis na di time to do more investment, put money for treasury bills, investment wey go bring more profit.
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