Life in Nigeria has become miserable for the larger population as 2024 is one of the hardest years Nigerians have ever undergone after the ugly experience of civil war.
It is obvious now that Nigeria is presently at the edge of the precipice in terms of economic downturn, insecurity of life and property, increase in electricity tariff and inability of majority of the citizens to afford the cost of food. Each day, the hardship is biting harder and could lead people to take extreme measures. The extremely high cost of living is majorly attributable to the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu when he took office, including fuel subsidy removal and hike in electricity tariff.
In February this year, Vice-President Kashim Shettima announced the establishment of a board charged with the responsibility of controlling and regulating food prices. The ‘Renewed Hope’ administration has also said it is working with rice producers to get more of it into the markets. The government ordered the national grain reserves to distribute 42,000 tonnes of grains, including maize and millet and instructed the Nigeria Customs Service to cheaply sell off bags of grains they had seized. .
All these measures have not brought any meaningful relief to millions of Nigerians who fall below the poverty line each day. The present administration’s policies have worsened the economic crisis. The cost of food has risen more by 35 per cent. Many are going to bed hungry, rationing what food they have or looking for cheaper alternatives. People are now eating the rice that is normally discarded as part of the milling process. The waste product usually goes into fish ponds.
President Tinubu’s efforts to remodel the economy have also added to the burden. To be honest, salary increase is not the solution as the difficulties are becoming unbearable to millions of Nigerians and wages have not kept up with the rising cost of living.
With the current reality in the country, it has been a tumultuous journey for workers, considering the rising cost of living after the removal of fuel subsidy among other measures. The take-home pay of workers is not in tune with the reality because workers are struggling to survive and rarely meet up with the demands of their families. There is need for the Tinubu-led federal government to approve a living wage that will make life better for workers.
Before the current increase in prices, the salaries of many workers could not even sustain them to the next salary day. Some spent their salaries on payment of credits. Despite the increase in the pump price of fuel and the increase in the prices of foodstuffs and other goods, worker salaries remained the same.
A living wage is necessary not minimum wage. Every dawn in Nigeria unveils renewed hardship and harsh living conditions. The much-talked-about prospect of wage increment for the Nigerian worker remains a mirage. Petrol subsidy is purportedly gone; yet its impact lingers, revealing the ineptitude of the current federal government.
Salary increase is not the solution, let the ‘Renewed Hope’ administration do the needful by making rice producers flood the market with more of it. Dangote, BUA, and other captains of industry should support the efforts of the government with their products at very subsidised prices.
Dukawa wrote from Abuja.
