Nigerians source alternative means to survive persistent hardship

Loveline Chinaza, a 32-year-old teacher practising with the private sector, continues to tap her phone with a serious face while numbers keep increasing as she taps. Her coin in the game called Hamster increases as she plays daily, waiting for the reward day called Airdrop to ‘cash out’ in dollars.

She said she has always been very committed to only teaching which at the end of the month brings back peanut income that can’t serve her monthly needs and these current realities forced her to look for other jobs online after being convinced that it will enable her to sort her needs.

“Due to the economy of the country, I sought money online and gave it time even when I was teaching in class to add another source which is not in line with the ethics of the professional body. I took this action to help myself because the salary being paid is very small and it can’t feed me and my family. I have to force myself to do this not because I am used to them but because I need something that will yield income at the end of it all.

“I am also doing my masters and the money earned can’t foot my bills. The country’s economy is very down and affecting the people. I went to a pharmacy yesterday to get some drugs for my sister, a student came to the pharmacy begging the pharmacist for a drug of N500 because he was down with high fever but he went away disappointed because he couldn’t get a drug of N500 which kept me wondering his fate,” Chinaza said.

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The cost of living crisis in Nigeria fueled by high inflation has left many with no further option than to look for alternative means of survival as their income no longer meets their daily needs.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Inflation has risen significantly in Africa’s most populous nation,

Despite easing to 32.15 percent in August from 33.40 percent in the previous month, the cost of living still remains on the high side, pushing Nigerians further to search for alternative means of income.

For Solomon Makinde, a Digital manager, working at Lagos Island daily from the mainland has made it very difficult to meet his daily financial tasks as expenses don’t allow him to save much at the end of the month.

He said these conditions made him seek other jobs which he is doing remotely to enable him to fit into the current realities.

“So basically, the economy is so difficult that my full-time job that I do Monday to Friday I spend almost 70 percent of my salary because it’s not easy to work on the island from the mainland every day of the week with the high rate of transportation, feeding and the fact that I’m newly married which is eating deep on my salary,” Makinde said

He said, “These harsh realities made me sort for remote jobs because being a digital marketer gives me the opportunity to work for many brands on a freelance basis. These additional jobs have given me money to take care of myself and have little savings which would have not been possible without sorting for additional jobs.”

Low-income earners in Nigeria, especially those living within and below the country’s minimum wage, are noticeably feeling the pains of the bad economy as stakeholders also call for an increase to make life easier for the citizens.

In April 2019, former president Mohammadu Buhari implemented the N30,000 minimum wage as agreed with Labour, but the body has also protested for an increase as hardship and cost of living erodes Nigerians. Recently, it has been raised to N70,000 by under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration still the hardship persists.

Gordian Ejimonu, a vice principal in one of the private secondary schools in Imo state said he has to apply measures to get more income.

“I am a secondary school teacher who earns below minimum wage. I have to seek for a loan to purchase a bike for ‘okada’ business here in imo state and that has really helped me. when school is dismissed, I have to hit the road for extra income. I also engage in Agriculture especially cassava production to manage expenses for feeding.”