Adesope Michael Marvelous, 15 years old, sss 2
High cost of living has become a sad situation in the country. Some people have become homeless because they cannot afford the basic needs of life. Over population in the country has led to high cost of living. The country is populated but natural resources are few.
High cost of living is a situation in Nigeria and it has become the order of the day. People are living in abject poverty without any plans as they are unable to afford basic things average people should be able to afford. The cost of goods and services keeps getting higher everyday as the people are faced with a life which can be tagged “unbearable”.
It is easy to say cost of living in the country is high, but the causes of high cost of living have remained a topic of discussion for ages. While some people put the blame on the government, some people believe that the citizens are very much involved in the cause of high cost of living situation of the country.
Francis Felicia Boluwatife, 15 years old, sss 2
High cost of living is one of the problems ravaging my beloved country, Nigeria. Because of this, a lot of people now live a dog’s life as affording a three square meal has become a thing of the past in the country. Report of people committing suicide and others hurting fellow community dwellers is now on the rise.
There are different reasons that warrant high cost of living in the country. To start with, we individuals are one of the causes of inflation in Nigeria; which subsequently leads to a high cost of living. Some industries are not using available resources effectively and this leads to the rise in prices of commodities produced and the consumers find it difficult to afford the already produced goods.
Moreover, the removal of fuel subsidy without adequate means of cushioning the effects has greatly impacted the cost of transportation negatively and it is one of the major problems contributing to the high cost of living in Nigeria.
Falola Grace Isinmiayo, 15 years old, sss 2
The high cost of living in any country presents significant challenges that affect individuals and families across various socio-economic strata. This issue is multifaceted, involving housing, healthcare, education, and everyday essentials.
Firstly, housing costs often constitute a substantial portion of expenses, particularly in urban areas where demand outstrips supply, driving up prices. This situation leads to overcrowding, homelessness, or individuals living paycheck to paycheck to afford rent or mortgage payments.
Secondly, healthcare expenses can be prohibitively high, especially in countries without universal healthcare coverage. Medical bills and insurance premiums can quickly drain savings, forcing families into debt or foregoing necessary medical care.
Tajudeen Khadijat Yetunde, 15 years old, sss 2
The only cry of the majority of the country is lamenting the ever increasing cost of living which continues to put people into the streets without any visible remedy in sight. People seem to lose hope everyday as it does not seem that things will get better any time soon. It is so alarming that securing a one room apartment; even in a rural area, is now a luxury for those that a termed to be the ‘middle class’.
There is alsos the ever increasing rate of unemployment that people now find it difficult to even have a meal not to talk of the conventional ‘three square meals’. People do not have the resources to take better care of themselves. The big question is, how will someone who cannot afford to get food to eat afford to pay rent and get other basic needs of life?
Azeez Busirat Olawumi, 13 years old, sss 1
Nigeria is facing a lot of problems due to the high cost of things. Citizens cannot afford to meet their necessary basic needs. Many people die of hunger, most youths engage in bad behaviour such as kidnapping and armed robbery just because they cannot raise money to feed themselves. The government should find solution to this because it affects the citizens directly. Although, some still have the ability and capability to manage the situation but what of those who cannot?
Also, the government should provide adequate and reasonable employment for its citizens, so that even when the goods are expensive they will still be able to afford it.
Adepoju Abidat Adejumoke, 15 years old, sss 2
The cost of living in Nigeria is very high. Nowadays, people live in hunger, many people are jobless and many are homeless but they have to live. For the fact that the removal of fuel subsidy is affecting the people, we individuals are also part of the cause of inflation in the country, and this inflation is a major cause of the high cost of living in the country. Many people are hiding under the removal of fuel subsidy and services are adding to the cost of goods.
Many people are jobless because there is no provision of employment. In Nigeria, 60% of people who get employed must have had some connections with some people in higher places, while the remaining 40% of people got their job luckily.
But the fact is that some of this people who got their job, the money the government are paying them is very low compare to what they spend every month.
Even in rural area, where people practice agriculture mostly, the rate at which they sell their goods is very high. Because the rate at which they spend on their farm is high, so they will have to add to the cost of the goods to make their profits.
The cost of transportation also adds to inflation in the country, even if the rate at which they buy the goods is less, the cost of transportation will make it to be high. Now imagine, when you buy a good at a very high cost you have to pay the transport fare and have to add your profit, no one will trade and do not want to make a profit, with this, the cost of goods increases making the cost of living to be very difficult.
Imagine a family of four children where the father is collecting #60,000 per month and the mother is a petty trader, who is just earning a small amount of money, the parent will have to pay the children school fee, house rent and still have to feed themselves and this parent will struggle to make sure their children graduate, but eventually these children will be jobless. An adage says “An idle hand is the devil’s workshop”. When a graduate struggles to hunt for job but find it difficult to get one, they would get involve in online fraud, kidnapping, armed-robbery and so on. This high cost of living leads to high rate of crime.
The high cost of living which seems to be more serious in the urban area has led to more of urban-rural migration of people, ultimately leading to over-population in the rural area and making the available resources lesser than the need of the population living in the rural area. Because of the high cost of living and inflation, people live in hunger, remain jobless and life it is now difficult for them to live. People have lost their lives, because they do not have money to treat themselves when they are sick. In conclusion, government should make sure there is job for citizens, provision of youth empowerment and do their possible best by making sure high cost of living is curbed. The individual on the other hand should make use of the available resources effectively.
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