STUDENTS of tertiary institutions across the country and a cross section of other Nigerians have expressed concern over the rising cost of food and the attendant suffering.
This, according to the students who spoke with Saturday Tribune is having adverse effects on their academic performance as the hardship has gone beyond what they could cope with. This state of affairs is not peculiar to the students’ population. Many homes are also groaning under the intensity of the high cost of living and harsh economic condition.
The chairman of Mile 12 International Market, Alhaji Usman Shehu, blamed insecurity for the food scarcity and the rising cost of food items.
He said, “I am not surprised at the high cost of perishable commodities. The scarcity has to do with insecurity in the North. Farmers in the North are unable to access their farms. This is a very serious issue. Apart from this, the farmers that are supposed to be on their farm working are in the IDP camps because they have been displaced by bandits. The bandits are a major threat to our farmers. How do you expect us to cope when the country is also not importing food items? If the Federal Government will address the recurring insecurity in the North, food insecurity and instability in the prices of food commodities will be resolved.”
Students lament
To students in tertiary institutions across the country, the persistent rise in the prices of food items and the attendant hunger is one experience they will never forget. Some of the students who spoke to Saturday Tribune expressed frustration and dissatisfaction with the impact of food scarcity and hunger on their performance in the various institutions.
A resident of Iyana-Ipaja, a 300-level student of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Saheed Buhari, lamented that the rising cost of food was affecting his study.
He claimed that his education was solely being sponsored by his mother, his father having allegedly abandoned his parental responsibilities. He regretted that the daily income of his mother, who engaged in petty trading in the area, was not enough to feed him and see him through school.
He said, “I am an undergraduate at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). I am being sponsored by a single parent, my mother. As a result of the harsh economic situation in Nigeria, financial and material support has not been regular from home. In the past, I survived by buying foodstuff in school with the little money I received from home, but the situation is different now. My allowance cannot get the kind of things I used to get. Many times, I have had to attend classes on empty stomach. Whenever the situation becomes unbearable, I stay back at home and, unfortunately, miss lectures. It is not something I enjoy, but I have no choice.
My siblings and I depend on our mother and our aunt for financial support.”
In a similar boat with Buhari is a Higher National Diploma student of the Yaba College of Technology, Esther Ezukwo, who claimed to have modified her lifestyle to conform to the current economic realities in the country.
Ezukwo, who resides in Festac, Lagos, expressed the hope that the situation will improve. “Previously, especially during my National Diploma programme, I never gave a thought to my spending, but now, I am prudent with it. I calculate everything down to the last kobo. I used to come to school with everything and anything I wanted, including snacks. But at the moment, I only come with things that are very essential.
“I remember how I shopped for groceries. Back then, I visited the market every weekend to get food items and other commodities. But as a result of the outrageous prices of tomatoes and pepper, I avoid making stew like a plague. I tried substituting fresh tomatoes with tomato paste but I found out that this isn’t healthy and I decided to stop.
“To be honest, I am always scared of approaching the market because I constantly fear that the prices of things would have doubled. I used to cook and share my meals with friends but I no longer do that. I have become more cautious about the quantity of foodstuff I have, conscious of what the market is saying. I cannot afford to buy meat. My only source of protein for now is fish, which is gradually slipping out of reach as the price changes daily. I sincerely hope that things will get better. Something needs to be done urgently by the government.”
Another resident, Kofoworola Fatomilola, was critical of the excesses of traders in the food market whom she accused of profiteering and deliberately hoarding food commodities to create artificial scarcity in order to make more money. This, according to her, is very disastrous in the long run and could endanger the future of the students, particularly female students who could be forced into prostitution to meet their financial needs.
She said, “Aside from creating feasible economic policies, the government should build a system to check people who intentionally hoard goods for selfish reasons. Also, generally, Nigerians should be kind to one another and play their part in making things easier and better for us all. If we continue on this path of selfishness, there will be no significant change.”
Khadija Oladehinde, a 400-level student of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, described the issue of food insecurity and food inflation as a cycle with no end in sight. According to her, the entire student population in Nigeria has been greatly affected by the food crisis. Many students, she said, have been forced to make tough choices because they are not financially independent of their parents or guardians.
She said, “Quite frankly, the challenge of food insecurity and inflation is a matter of concern to most undergraduates. Personally, I find it worrisome. These days, eating out or cooking at home can be daunting. For example, when I was in 100 level, if I was too tired to make my own meal, I visited a popular restaurant. Back then, the restaurant sold a plate of rice for around N500. But as we speak, the same portion of rice sells for N2,500 with chicken and N2,000 if you are opting for beef alone. This is the situation with many other restaurants and cafeterias around my school.
“If we are to abstain from eating out, let’s look at the prices of food items in the county. Stew is slowly becoming a luxury. Tomatoes are now priced like gold and pepper, silver. As we speak, one kilogram of cooking gas is N1,200. It used to be about N300.
“The margin between the so-called middle class and the lower class is gradually disappearing. Many people are finding it hard to trudge forward. Every day, we wake up to new prices of things and we are expected to adapt. As a result of the state of the country, I am always faced with tough choices. My main worry used to be how to get materials for lectures but now, I sometimes make compromises.
“Oftentimes, I delay certain things that are not so pressing to stock up on food items and groceries. I can’t even imagine how indigent students are faring at this period. I don’t know if things will get better.”
Food dealers, restaurateurs groan
Dealers in raw food materials and restaurateurs are not exempted from the scheme of things as they are groaning under the biting economic hardship.
Some foodstuff traders domiciled in the various higher institutions spoke to Saturday Tribune about their coping mechanisms.
Mrs Adeola Omotessy sells raw food items at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State. She asserted that the government and traders should be treated as major players if there is to be an end to the present economic tension.
She said, “We are tired. Every day, prices of goods increase at the market. Some days ago, I bought 25 liters of groundnut oil for N50,000. This morning, while I was preparing to display my goods, the person I bought the oil from called me to say that the same product now sold for N53,500. This happened within a few days. It is overwhelming.
“People that know me in the polytechnic will be able to testify that I used to have a large quantity of goods stocked up in my shop. But at the moment, reverse is the case. Sales have reduced drastically. I can’t really blame the students because they are also finding it rough. I appeal to our leaders to help us to regulate the prices of commodities.
“I want to use this medium to also appeal to private individuals who are in the habit of arbitrarily inflating their prices to desist from doing so. There are cases where wholesalers hike their prices on the grounds that they heard rumours that the price of a particular food item has gone up. This should not be happening.”
A restaurant owner, Mrs Bridget Okpara, said her customers, who are mostly students of the University of Ibadan, have been complaining about the reduction in the quantity of food portions.
According to her, business has not been booming as larger sums of money now chase fewer goods and, in a bid to ensure that she does not run at a loss, she has had to adjust accordingly.
“Business has not been easy for food vendors like me. I think we are the worst hit because there is no substitute for healthy, nutritious food except a food vendor wants to endanger the people’s lives. I go to the market with almost a quarter of a million naira and have nothing to show for it. I spend a lot of money on transportation and other things before even purchasing the food items needed for my business.
“When my customers, who are mostly students, come around, they always lament the reduction of portions served. I thank God that they are very mature and understanding as many of them still patronise me. One thing that has enabled me to retain my spot is that I never compromise on the quality of my meals,” Mrs Okpara disclosed.
Stakeholders call for regulation, monitoring of prices
Stakeholders have called for the regulation and monitoring of prices of commodities to curb unwarranted price increase by traders.
A politician and candidate of Accord Party in Oyo State in the 2019 governorship election, Mr Saheed Ajadi, blamed everyone for the food insecurity the country is facing.
He said, “In the past, you could not grow tomatoes and jack up the price just because the price of dollar increased. You would be arrested and jailed. But there is no such monitoring anymore. We need a pricing structure. We can change things with our attitude.
“We must love one another before Nigeria can develop and change for the better. I visited some major markets in Lagos, Oyo and elsewhere to monitor prices of food items. I discovered that nobody is monitoring pricing in Nigeria. It was never like this.
“I urge the youth to support the government and be productive, especially at this time in our national life. We must stay united and not fight. The country is at a crossroads over the rising cost of living and the inflation it is plunged into. The administration of President Bola Tinubu came at a time when the economy of the country was comatose because the previous administrations had borrowed so much money.
“The removal of fuel subsidy was an imperative measure to arrest the near collapse of the economy and stop the hemorrhage in the nation. The previous government made no provision for subsidy in the 2023 budget. All these measures have implications on the economy and they are no doubt responsible for the hardship Nigerians are currently facing in terms of inflation and high cost of food items.”
A broadcast journalist, Elijah Tejuoso, urged the Federal Government to tackle the growing insecurity and invest in agriculture to boost food production.
He said, “Our population currently sits around over 200 million people and unfortunately, the majority of Nigerians are in multidimensional poverty. Many homes barely eat three square meals. For those that actually eat, they spend a whole lot to keep food constantly on the table. I also understand that Nigeria is in dire need of revenue. For this reason, the country has to harness all revenue-generating sectors, including production of cash crops for export.
“I put it to the president that the well-being of the citizens comes first. The president should ensure that all arable lands are utilised for the production of food crops needed by the population. Let us not forget that only healthy people can be innovative enough to better a society.”
A polytechnic lecturer, Ridwan Ajibode, identified youth orientation as one of the ways to bring the difficult economic situation to an end. He recalled how farming used to be a proud occupation to the youth. He lamented that many youth now shun farming and are in pursuit of white-collar jobs.
He said, “One sure way to ensure food security is to embrace agriculture. The youth should be encouraged to actively take part in farming and other agricultural practices. I remember when the youth used to willingly take part in farming. Back then, families didn’t need to worry about food. Agriculture isn’t something the youth should shy away from. I understand that many pursue white-collar jobs, but with proper training and orientation, agriculture can be very lucrative.
“They should also be sensitised about the importance of agriculture to food security and the sustainability of our nation. Even in foreign countries, their citizens engage in farming and other agricultural activities. As a matter of fact, no nation can thrive without farming. In the same vein, through the consumption of made-in-Nigeria goods, our local currency can be strengthened.
“The government has a role to play in curbing this situation by giving soft, non-interest loans to farmers and ensuring that adequate facilities are put in place to curtail environmental factors like flooding that can threaten food security.”
Amidst abundance, many Nigerians live below the poverty line as the country is currently experiencing a galloping inflation and a sharp decline in food production and supply, especially perishable food items with their prices now beyond the reach of many residents.
According to statistics by the United Nations, over 25 million Nigerians representing 15 per cent of the over 200 million population are confronted with food insecurity. Similarly, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday, 15 July, 2024, pegged the food inflation rate for June 2024 at 40.87 per cent.
Peoplesmind
