It is no longer news that prices of food stuffs and other consumables have skyrocketed all over the nation, such that one would wonder how low income earners are able to meet their basic needs.
A visit to the local, super and international markets will confirm this.
Sometimes, men and women are seen grumbling while trying to haggle prices with vendors. Our reporter while carrying out a survey at the Garki International market and Fish market, Apo Ressettlement, Abuja, observed that prices of consumables are not stable as the prices appreciate by the day.
A chat with some buyers indicates that, so many house holds have reduced the number of times they feed per day from 3 square meals to 1-0-1 or even 0-1-0 as the case may be.
Others have adopted cheaper substitutes, just to enable them feed their families. To them, it is no longer about nutritional value but just to quench hunger especially as young children and toddlers can not comprehend why they have to get smaller rations of food than usual.
For instance, most mothers now buy sweet potatoes as substitute for yam, unbranded milk and cereals tied in nylons, sachet water popularly known as pure warer, instead of bottled water. Buying ponmo (cow skin) in place of beef chunks, making sauces in place of stew, using fan instead of air conditioners, just to conserve electricity units.
These spike in food prices may be ascribed to irregular rainfall patterns which have affected some farm produce, coupled with crisis between herdsmen and the farmers which has made some farmers to totally abandon their farm lands.
Also, food storage is particularly poor in some of the states where food items are usually sourced. Foods like rice, beans , maize, millet, guinea corn mostly get infested by weevils, while tubbers like yam, potatoes also become rotten after some time due to poor storage. Also fruits and vegetables are the worst hit as they can’t survive for long without proper preservation.
Some of the shoppers who spoke on the condition of anonymity called on the government to take necessary actions at ensuring food availability and price stability.
Also, to cushion the effects of the harsh economy and be able to meet up with providing their basic needs, some Nigerians have resorted to acquiring loans with ridiculous interest rates from micro finance banks, loan sharks and even loan apps on the internet, with no concrete plan on how to pay back.
Those who are not able to meet up with the repayment plans end up being arrested or even get their reputation tarnished with a disclaimer circulated all over the internet.
Consequently, the rate of crimes, depression and suicide cases have been on the rise.
Some have even taken drastic actions that involves blood donation at hospital blood banks in exchange for money, or in extreme cases, offer to sell their organs/kidneys to those in need of transplants.
