By Ebi Kesiena
As Nigeria is set to celebrate its 64 Independence Day, citizens have continued to decry the high cost of living crisis facing the West African nation, with many insisting that the country has no reason to celebrate.
Heritage Times HT recalls that on his first day in office, President Bola Tinubu ended a decades-long fuel subsidy that had helped keep prices down. His government also twice devalued the currency, causing prices of just about everything to skyrocket.
Against this backdrop, our correspondent spoke with some residents of Apo resettlement, a suburb of the nation’s capital, many of whom disclosed that the economy is biting hard on them and it appears like the government is not privy to the plight of the people.
Musa Lawal, a father of four and a civil servant, expressed his frustration with the skyrocketing cost of housing, which he says has made life unbearable for him and his family.
In his words, “I’ve lived in Abuja for about 10 years, but now it feels impossible to afford rent. Every year, landlords increase prices, and with no salary increase to match the inflation, where do they expect us to get the money from? I have kids in school, bills to pay, and now I’m thinking of relocating to my village once I retire because the cost of accommodation has become really expensive”.
Fatimah Abdullahi, a small business owner, expressed deep concerns about the lack of affordable healthcare, saying many Nigerians can no longer afford basic medical care.
She said: “How are we supposed to survive? Even going to the hospital for a simple checkup is now a luxury. The cost of healthcare has gone up drastically, and there’s no government support to help. If your child falls sick, you’re on your own. It’s heartbreaking. The rich can afford private hospitals, but what about the rest of us? The government needs to step in. We are suffering”.
A commercial driver, Ifeanyi Okafor, pointed to the high cost of fuel as one of the primary reasons behind the current hardship.
“Ever since the fuel subsidy was removed, the price of fuel has more than doubled. How do they expect us to survive? I spend half of my earnings just on fuel, and the cost of transportation has gone up too, affecting everyone. People are struggling to buy food because everything depends on transportation costs. The government should have thought this through before removing the subsidy. Right now, it’s like they don’t care about the common man,” lamented Okafor.
As Nigeria celebrates 64 years of Independence, these voices reflect the growing discontent among ordinary citizens who are struggling with daily economic challenges and are calling for urgent government action to alleviate the suffering, as it is pertinent for the government to work out modalities to better the lives of citizens.
