THIS is not the best of times for average Nigerians due to the country’s unsavoury socio-economic situations. The country is grappling with its worst economic challenges this forcing cost of living to be behind the reach of most Nigerians as they continue their battle with unemployment, corruption, harsh economic policies, among others.
The reality confronting Nigerians today is the inability to afford, reasonably, their basic needs such as food, transportation and shelter.
There is no sector that is not feeling the pain of the hardship. Business activities are at the lowest ebb as the surging inflation has crippled many businesses and drastically reduced the purchasing power of many. To worsen the situation, many Nigerians, especially the youth, are becoming more desperate and daring in their quest for survival. Some of them now engage in illegal activities and crimes.
Though the current economic situation cuts across the country, its severity on the people varies from one part or state to another. In Plateau State, for instance, things are not longer at ease economically for most residents. The hardship is, no doubt, taking its toll on Plateau residents, especially those in the state capital, Jos. The vibrant and bustling atmosphere associated with Jos, particularly the city centre, the commercial nerve centre of the state, has gone down drastically.
At the moment, one can view the end of the popular Ahmadu Bello Way from the entry point. Apart from the few commercial vehicles you will find on the road, it is no longer what it used to be; the bustling atmosphere has disappeared. Most of those doing business on that street have somewhat disappeared! The number of sellers has exceeded that of buyers.
When the Sunday Tribune visited the Jos city centre, Ahmadu Bello Way, Muritala Mohammed Way, and Rwang Pam Street, many traders were seen in front of their shops expecting patronage. A cross-section of traders lamented the state of the economy, saying that the hardship in the country is hitting them harder and at the same time paralysing their businesses.
A trader identified as Chijioke Abraham, who deals in assorted fabrics of curtains, said patronage has gone down beyond his imagination, adding that the purchasing power of an average Nigerian has been depleted forcing people to now adopt putting their needs on a scale of preference.
“You can see for yourself that the street is deserted; only a few vehicles are on the road. For the past two weeks, I have not made any sale. There is no money in circulation; people are more concerned now with what to eat than any other thing. Prior to now, the end of the year was always a booming season for us, as many would want to give their house a new look by changing their curtains. We are in the month of November, and no one is coming.
“The situation is further worsened by some state government officials coming to disturb us for one tax or revenue, knowing full well that there are no sales. I am appealing to the state government to look into this because a frustrated man is an angry man,” he lamented.
Abdullahi Shittu, a taxi driver, attributed the cost of the hardship being experienced to what he called the sudden removal of petroleum subsidies by the government, adding that since the pronouncement, economic activities have nosedived beyond imagination and destroyed the sources of livelihoods of many citizens.
“I want to say that the worst hit of this economic hardship are the small-scale businessmen. We no longer roam about looking for passengers as we used to do. First, the pump price has continued to be on the increase without considering the plight of Nigerians. Also, there’s no passenger on the roads, which is why we have resorted to queuing. And with that, if any of us is lucky, he goes three times in a day. So things are bad; Nigerians are suffering,” Shittu said.
He further asserted that despite the fact that many civil servants and private car owners have parked their cars, there is still not much patronage for them. He said what worsened their case was the introduction of Tin City buses by the state government as palliative for the citizenry at a very affordable price.
The chairman, Jos North Traders and Marketers Association, Mallam Samaila Garba, sharing the plight of his members with Sunday Tribune, said many of them have been frustrated out of business as a result of a lack of patronage occasioned by the economic hardship in the country, saying those badly affected are traders selling perishable items.
“Imagine one sitting down one or two days without selling anything. Things are really bad; quite a lot of people have been forced out of business. When the price is high, demand will certainly be low; everybody is complaining, and we are not getting positive responses from the government. The idea of giving out palliative in the form of giving out money and sharing food items cannot address the problems; the government should be practical in its approach to the hardship.”
One of the attractions of Jos and /or Plateau generally is its beautiful environment and this has also made it a tourism destination for foreigners. But today, the hitherto thriving hospitality sector has been badly affected as a result of the growing economic hardship. A visit to some of the recreational spots within the metropolis depicted low patronage with a scanty crowd.
The manager of a popular West of Mines joint, where most civil servants and others hibernate to unwind after a hectic day, disclosed that they had been recording low turnout in recent times. The situation was similar in other joints across the state capital. The hardship has no doubt forced many fun seekers to make little allowances for recreation.
A fun seeker who did not want his name in print disclosed that the recent increase in the price of beer and other “gentleman” drinks has forced many people to reduce their patronage of such joints. He explained that the price of roasted fish a few months ago was N3,000 but today it is sold at N7,000 at moderate joints. The price is further high in the high-end areas like Ray Field, Millionaire Quarters and others.
Even the “hookup” business that used to flourish in Jos and made nightlife very popular, he buttressed, is suffering. Most of those ladies and girls wait endlessly these days without patronage, adding that they have since disappeared from their usual hangout within the city.
“But the most unfortunate is that the hardship has given rise to dangerous joints where drinks that are cheap are being sold. For example, some of those who could not afford the cost of beer, which price is above N1,000, settle for these cheap, dangerous drinks, which could make them high with as little as N500,” he said.
Worried by the hardship that is gradually crippling business activities, the Chief Executive of Afix Bar and Restaurant, Chief Jide Olagbemiro, condemned the high cost of living in the country, adding that the situation was further worsened by the recent incessant collapse of the national grid coupled with vandalism of power lines by some undesirable elements.
He mentioned that the hospitality industry in Plateau State is experiencing a downturn as a result of the prevailing economic situation in the country and charged those saddled with the responsibility of various aspects of the economy to redouble their efforts towards rejuvenating the economy to reduce the hardships in the country.
“The patronage has gone down, and the standard of living has equally gone down; it affects all aspects of the economy, not just the hospitality industry. People don’t go out like before; feeding and other basic things are more important to people nowadays than leisure.”
Chief Olagbemiro therefore appealed to the government at all levels to arrest the rising cost of living, which includes the cost of transportation, and deliver on their electoral promises.
“If there is constant supply of electricity, the tariff is reduced, and the present loss of jobs will be reduced,” he advanced.
While the state government is trying to mitigate the hardship, the attacks in some of the Plateau State agrarian communities, precisely in Mangu, Bokkos, Barakin-Ladi, and Riyom local government areas of the state, have further heightened the hardships. There are several instances where harvested farm produce was set on fire and farms pulled down by bandits suspected to be militia herdsmen.
Recently, no fewer than 100 hectares of farms were destroyed by these militias in some communities in Barakin-Ladi and Riyom councils. Many farmers as well could not access their farms for fear of being attacked by gunmen. The attacks on some of the agrarian communities have further fuelled the hardship in the state as farm produce is in limited supply, thereby leading to a price increase.
However, Governor Caleb Mutfwang has so far demonstrated a serious commitment to the welfare of Plateau’s citizens to reduce the hardship through systematic, inclusive palliative programs. Apart from donations from the first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the state government equally extended palliative support through initiatives like fertiliser distribution to stimulate food production.
To ease the transportation problem caused by the economic hardship, the state government introduced Tin City Metro buses to generate employment and to convey citizenry at an affordable cost, along with other measures put in place.
In spite of this, people said their yearning is urgent interventions and informed concrete economic policies that will alleviate their suffering and reposition the economy.
Dr. Mohammed Tahir advised the president and his economic team to listen to the groaning of Nigerians, adding present hardships in the country cannot be addressed through the sharing of money or foodstuffs.
Dr. Tahir tasked the federal government to focus more on the productive sector and tackle energy problems confronting the country and other things that can rejuvenate the economy.
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