By Daniel Bulusson A.K.A Barrister Monkey Jacket
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During the weekend, this writer went shopping with N30, 000 which is the minimum wage of a Nigerian worker and by a conversion rate of N750 to $1 amounts to $40, to get foodstuff and provisions to get by for the month. It was alarming when all I bought was two nylon bags of groceries to take home, items that can barely feed a bachelor like me for one month, how much more a Nigerian father of two children, earning minimum wage expected to take care of his family?
As at the point of writing this article, the price of PMS was going for N540 per liter in Kaduna with a rumored increase to 700 expected due to the subsidy removal, this has led to a hike in transportation fare for the Nigerian workforce. Electricity tariff has also gone up, as N1000 worth of unit is less than 30, the school fees of public educational institutions has also skyrocketed likewise the prices of foodstuffs. What this invariably means is that, the basic needs of a society to develop (i.e. Energy, Education, Labor (Transportation) and food) have grown beyond the purchasing power of majority of Nigerians.
Amy Fontinelle, in an article “Standard of Living Vs Quality of life: what is the difference?” updated May, 27, 222 on Investopedia, defined standard of living to mean “… the level of wealth, comfort, material goods, and necessities available to a socioeconomic class or geographic area”, which begs the question, on a scale of 1 to 10, how is the standard of living of an average Nigerian considering a minimum wage of N30, 000 i.e. $40.
According to makemoney.ng. the list of eleven (11) countries with the highest minimum wage (monthly) in Africa per US dollars are as follows: Seychelles $432, Libya $322, Morocco $281, Gabon $256, South Africa $242, Mauritius $240, Equatorial Guinea $200, Congo $154, Algeria $151, Kenya $140 and Cape Verde $132, and yet Nigeria is supposed to be a GIANT to all the aforementioned.
It therefore suffices to say that no matter how laudable the policies of the current administration might seem to the eye and ear of Nigerians, as long as the economic hardship and burden is unbearable for its citizens, then drastic steps need to be taken by the government of the day to alleviate this plight, to enable Nigerians weather the storm pending when the benefits of these policies come into fruition, lest not forget that Nigerians are still recovering from the trauma of the Buhari administration.
To my mind, the best way to cushion the effect of what Nigerians are going through is the immediate increase of wages and income for every working Nigerian man and woman to accommodate the current cost of living. Truth be told, survival has replaced living as a Nigerian, Garri is now replacing fried rice and chicken, everyone is managing and yet, the little income we are trying to manage is still not enough to provide for basic amenities.
We as a country cannot complain about crime and insecurity if we do not curb the alarming rate at which the poverty level of its citizens is growing. Many have complained about the hastiness of certain policies being implemented by the Government without first laying a structure (palliative) to accommodate the effect of such policies, and one has no option but see the wisdom in their criticism.
As such, it goes without mincing words that it is high time for wage and income increase of every working man and woman to avoid an implosion of any kind occasioned by the suffering witnessed by Nigerians.
For Comment(s), Recommendation(s) and question(s), do send a mail to danielbulusson@gmail.com
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