Petty trader groans as hardship persists

Name:  Mrs Rashidat Olatunji

State of Origin: Kwara State

Dependants: Four Children

Trade: I sell food and household items including any fruit in season. I also sell roasted corn and pear in the evenings. I used to sell kerosene and roast plantain but I had to press pause for now because both of them are very expensive now.

Profit: The profit was encouraging but not anymore. The little profit is not even enough to purchase food items let alone meet other pressing needs such as house rent and children’s school fees. The bag of pear I used to buy for N4, 000 last year is now N7, 000 and cost of transportation is now high.

We used to feed very well before because the price of food items was reasonable and customers were buying without complaining which meant, I was making good money. These days, we eat anything we see just to keep body and soul together and our drinking water went from sachet water to tap water.

School fees: I had to withdraw my children from the private school they attend to a public school because the fees of the private school suddenly went beyond my reach. I even had to borrow money to send them back to school but my daughter who is currently an undergraduate in Kwara polytechnic is still at home.

House rent: Before, we were paying N4, 000 per month but our landlord increased the rent to N5, 000. We managed to pay for five weeks with borrowed funds. Hopefully, we will foot the rest bill with time.

Challenges: Growing my business and giving my children quality education. My parents did not have the money to send me to school but knowing the importance of education, I vowed to give my children a good one but this hardship in the country is not making that easy.

If you want to contact the writer of this story call: +234(0) 803 889 1567, +234(0) 802 223 8495.   chinwe.agbeze@businessdayonline.com

CHINWE AGBEZE