LAGOS, Nigeria – The removal of fuel subsidies in Nigeria has left its citizens grappling with skyrocketing fuel prices, leading to a widespread lifestyle change among Nigerians.
A litre of petrol jumped from N160 to N617 within three months, prompting the citizens to devise innovative means to survive in a nation already grappling with a 22.77 per cent inflation rate.
Nigerians are demonstrating an incredible spirit of adaptability in their quest for survival.
“Citizens would look for cheaper options to meet their basic nutrient needs. The full impact of the current policies would become fully felt in about one year. My advice is for citizens to tame their expectations and prepare for the worst,” said Zadok Akintoye, a politician and farmer in Ondo State.
For many, survival has meant reducing their dependence on personal vehicles, especially those guzzling high amounts of fuel.
For example, Jonah Bulus, a civil servant in Lagos, has shifted to using commercial buses to commute. “Spending about N35,000 to fuel your car weekly is not sustainable… What I use now is public transportation. I use BRT buses,” he stated on Saturday, July 22, 2023.
Electricity conservation has also been a critical strategy, given the increase in the cost of power due to the rise in fuel prices.
Eziashi Ifeanyi, a Lagos resident, said he often turned off the electricity from the central switch to conserve power, a practice many others have also adopted.
Luxuries have become an unaffordable extravagance, resulting in cutbacks on non-essentials.
Many avoid expenses like uniform party clothes, locally known as aso ebi.
Wale Olanrewaju, chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, in Ogun State, advised, “With the current economic hardship in the country, Nigerians should not go beyond their limit. This is not the time to be spending on luxury. We should do away with anything that is not that important to us at this crucial period.”
Christiana Akande, an undergraduate at the University of Ibadan, has significantly altered her lifestyle.
“I have reduced the way I purchase food from food vendors. I now deliberately skip meals… I buy more Garri and rice because Indomie Noodles is a luxury,” she shared, reflecting the changing consumption patterns in the country.
Nigerians are finding innovative ways to weather the storm in these trying times.
These measures, however, are more a survival tactic than a sustainable way of life, pointing to an urgent need for more effective government policies to alleviate the economic hardships faced by the country’s populace.
