Of recent, Eagle eye had a conversation with a housekeeper who survives by doing chores in at least 3 houses in the vicinity of Rayfield. She has chosen a day for each of the houses that is convenient for her employers. And each of them pays her #4000 only.
Considering the harsh economic crisis Nigeria is facing, Eagle eye asked her how she manages and this was her answer.
“Every time i collect my salaries, I handle each one according to the needs tied to it. For instance: Employer A- buy 15 measures of corn; grind 7 measures into powder form( corn flour) to be used for tuwo. The remaining 8; I would use 4 for pap and 3 would be ground roughly and set aside for gotai”.
This she explained would serve as their breakfast- pap, lunch- tuwo accompanied with any easy and cheap soup to make. Dinner would be gotai- a semi-liquid local delicacy made with varieties of vegetables and thickened with either hungry rice( for those who can afford) it) or roughly ground maize.
“Salary from Employer B- for children’s education. They are in a public school. It is the same money I use for health any time there is a health challenge.
“Salary from Employer C is the one we manage all through the month for food ingredients and use it for adashi – to safe towards our house rent”.
This industrious woman’s husband does not have a stable job. He does menial jobs by working at building sites and farms. His wage serves as bonus used to indulge themselves once in a blue moon. For example, his pay affords them the luxury of taking tea and bread, rice and beans and or meat.
The above family can only concentrate on feeding and even with that, their feeding is poor. They can’t afford a balanced diet but eat to survive- to keep body and soul together. They also can’t afford electricity or pipe borne water. There is a well in their compound that feeds all the tenants. One look at this family and you will wonder if they are residents of the giant of Africa.
In the same Rayfield, Eagle eye has observed a mother of 4 who moves around with her kids doing odd jobs to keep body and soul together. The eldest of her daughters can’t be more than 8 years. From every indication, the gap between her daughters is not up to two years. As early as 7:30 am, they would be seen tailing after their mother with the youngest strapped to her back.
Their first point of call is usually a restaurant. The mother would sweep every part of the restaurant before taking off to God knows where. Later in the day, the woman and her 4 kids will come back to the restaurant where they would be served 2 plates of food- to pay for her service. In spite of this, the family looks malnourished and haggard. I have never come across the woman’s husband to see how he looks or what he does for a living.
If you know Rayfield, then you will understand that it is one of the places the wealthy abound. The budget for the rich man’’s dogs’ feeding is enough to make your ear tingle. The money some of them spend on health needs of their dogs runs into tens of thousands. And just across the road could be someone with no means to feed himself /herself like this mother of 4 .
In recent times, prices of staple foods like rice, beans, garri and common food ingredients like groundnut oil and palm oil have multiplied by 100 percent compared to their prices last year. This can be attributed to the corona virus pandemic, the subsequent lockdowns, downsizing of the workforce, shutting down businesses like the hospitality business, and air travels. The tourism sector was also hard hit.
It was felt globally but the Nigerian situation is seriously getting out of hand. Common foods that we grow like rice, beans, hungry rice, corn, millet etc are beyond the reach of the average Nigerian. We were made to believe that if our farmers were given the opportunity and level playing ground, they will be empowered, our economy will be the better for it and we would be the better for it. However, the reverse is the case.
The cry of most Nigerians is for government to renege on it’s word and return everything to statusque. At least then everything will be cheaper. If importing common foods like rice, milk, groundnut oil, sugar palm oil, etc. Will be imported and that translates to buying them cheap, then of course, I will rather have it that way. Is it not better to be able to afford food than for the poor in our midst to starve?
Our problem is that we are wicked to each other. We don’t have each other’s back. Everyone thinks of self even to the detriment of the larger society. That is why it is very easy for one man to rob a state and be richer than it, when given the opportunity to serve.
Government officials have been reported to think of only enriching themselves at the expense of their subjects. It is a common scenario for public servants to serve only themselves and their families. Money meant for the public is usually diverted for personal use or for enriching self.
Is it any wonder that our farmers believe it is their turn? For reasons that do not hold water, Nigerians have been sentenced to malnutrition. There are so many gory stories of the eating habits of Nigerians. Even the corn most people have fallen back on, is out of reach for the abject poor unless he gets a portion and farms. So many people are surviving by strategising like the first woman above.
Which way Nigeria? Government must use everything at its disposal to control price to bring sanity to the system. Price Control must come into effect. In addition, government should use the resources at its disposal to frustrate greedy middlemen. One of the ways is to buy foodstuffs like rice and beans in bulk straight from farmers and flood the markets with them, forcing the price to drop. This will discourage those that hoard the items in the hope of maximizing profit.
We shall overcome, resilient Nigerians. God is on the throne.
