Memories of 2021
By Chioma Okezie-Okeh
“I am ashamed to say it, but if my son is into Yahoo Yahoo (Internet fraud), I will pretend that I do not know because somehow we must survive. There is nothing to calculate anymore. My salary has been the same since 2015, and the cost of living has tripled. I have six children, now three of them have dropped out because I need to feed them first before talking about education.” That was Mr. Ojukwu, a civil servant, when asked how the Year 2021 went.
Despite the complaints among Nigerians that surviving in the current economy is hard due to inflation, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) through its report insist that there was a further drop in the inflation rate in the month of November 2021, dropping to 15.4 per cent from 15.99 per cent recorded in the previous month.
The urban inflation rate increased by 15.92 per cent (year-on-year) in November 2021 from 15.47% recorded in November 2020, while the rural inflation rate increased by 14.89 per cent in November 2021 from 14.33 per cent in November 2020.
Food inflation dropped significantly to 17.21 per cent in November 2021 from 18.34 per cent recorded in October 2021. Food inflation dropped to its lowest level in 14 months. On a month-on-month basis, the food sub-index increased by 1.07 per cent in November 2021, up by 0.16 per cent points from 0.91 per cent recorded in October 2021.
According to the report, the rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of bread and cereals, fish, food product, potatoes, yam and other tuber, oil and fats, milk, cheese and eggs and coffee, tea, and cocoa.
Despite all the assuring figures displayed above, majority of those who spoke with Saturday Sun said 2021 was a tough year but they learnt how to cut down excesses.
Mrs. Mary Ogbama, who is based in Kaduna, thanked God that her children are grown and of age to understand the need to manage whatever that is available. “I thank God that my kids understood the need to eat less and save more. I survived this year by the grace of God. I really don’t know how the average person with more than four children does it. Apart from the horrible lockdown, 2020 was better for me. None of my relatives sent a single grain of rice to me. It’s even worse with those abroad. They said inflation is everywhere. I believe that rich men were also affected because all those that used to arrange free gifts for us did not remember us at all. We are even scared of 2022 because government wants to increase the price of fuel. We are praying that the God of the poor man will not allow it happen.”
At Oshodi market, Mrs. Jumoke Olufemi claimed that 2021 was worse than the previous years. “During the lockdown, we, the grain sellers made so much money because of the palliatives that were in high demand by government and individuals. I believe it’s the aftermath of the lockdown that is affecting us because people lost their jobs and salaries where reduced.
“You can see things for yourself. Even now, the market is empty. Where have they all gone to? No one has so much money to throw around anymore. I called my customer who used to order at least 50 bags of rice every December. I was worried that he had another customer. He told me he was going to manage the half bag of rice left in his house.
“He sells electronics and he complained bitterly that things did not move well for him. How will it move when people are struggling to feed their families? I told my children to choose between Christmas clothes and school fees. My husband lost his job at the bank and I am the only one holding the family now. This is our reality and there is nothing anyone can do about it.”
Mohammed, who operates a bureau de change, blamed the drop on government policies. “You can call us black market or anything but we are the ones that keep the economy running. Even with the high exchange rate, we did not see any kind of mad rush in 2021. Even the number of international students dropped. I used to get a lot from these students but it dropped, even the parents withdrew their children, except such a child is ready to work and support themselves.
The high cost of food has a lot to do with the increase in dollar. Until the exchange rates drop, things will never get better.
“Those who are busy telling us that inflation has dropped are the thieves in this country. They are judging the economy based on the money that they stole. They did not work for it and as long as they are in government the money will keep flowing. I am into real estate and I have no less than 20 properties in the market. No one has ready cash to buy these properties. Most of the houses you see in highbrow areas are empty. We are praying that in 2022, politicians will release money into the economy. We are really hopeful that the real estate industry will open again because most of us are already in trouble because of the numerous loans from banks that we are servicing. The cost of building materials has doubled and one must finish the project and put it back into the market. It is crazy but we thank God that we are alive to see yet another new year in good health.”
Mr. Steve Onukwe is an entrepreneur. He told Saturday Sun that the secret to survival was by cutting down excesses. “It is possible that there is a drop in inflation but the truth is that the money in our pockets seems not to increase. I simply cancelled a lot of things that used to be a routine in the family. For instance, my kids travel abroad on vacation every year. Since 2020, none of them have left this country. They are in good private schools and their school fees are high. For me their education is the most important thing that they need. I also reduced the number of persons I support with cash. It is not my fault or theirs; it’s just the reality on ground. The cost of running the home has doubled and these are more important than pleasing anyone with gifts. I also cut down on parties with friends. We do more of family and friends get together. We are praying for a better 2022. Surviving inflation is very easy for an average person like me. I really don’t know how the poor man is getting by. I had to change my mobile number because of demands by people. These are persons with genuine need and so desperate. It’s unfortunate but we pray it gets better. I used to donate at least 100 bags of rice to the less privileged. This year, I managed to buy 50 bags and 40 were shared among relatives in dire need. This was our reality in 2021, but we pray that things will get better, especially the price of food and exchange rate.”
Alhaji Sani Mohammed is praying for a better year so that he can return to his farms in Niger where he was making so much profit with ease. “Insecurity that got worse is one of the reasons why 2021 was bad. I used to be a very successful farmer in Niger State. I had no choice but to relocate to Abuja when the bandits took over our area and were harvesting and selling our products. I used my little saving to buy a house in Kubwa and opened a provision shop. In fact, one of my wives left and I did not bother to stop her because I can no longer manage three wives. It is my new reality and we pray that things will get better.”
Madam Ngozi, a business woman in Ajao, is grateful to God for life and provision despite how hard things were. “Things were very expensive but we thank God that we survived it. The demand for things also dropped drastically which means less money in our pocket. Those that use to buy ten bags of flour reduced it to five. Their excuse was that they no longer get much order for cakes. God also helped in other ways to balance the things out for those who believe and trust in him.”
A transporter, Ekenne, thanked God for ending the year very well. “I am a transporter and I am proud to say that we made so much money this season. We were collecting up to N25,000 per person because of the hot demand for our cars. The airlines helped our case by inflating the prices outrageously. Although the year was tough with the hike in price of food stuff, I am proud to say that it ended well for me. We are still in the season and I have paid for the children’s school fees. We pray it gets better.”
Proprietor of Good Seeds Nursery and Primary School, Mrs. Damilola Johnson said she lost most of her students because of how bad things were. “It started with the 2020 lockdown and the fact that the breadwinners of some families lost their jobs, and they could no longer pay the fees. In Igando, the school fees are less than N50,000 per term. Most parents battle to complete the fees by the end of the school year. This naturally affected the salaries of my staff. I cannot do any magic; I simply pleaded with them to understand my plight and accept what is offered. We need help from government in form of grants to support the education sector.”
Ndubuisi Nnanna, who works in the private sector, lamented that things were so hard that he cannot remember how the previous years were. “I am just married with a child and I have grown grey hairs. Too much of calculations, trying to manage the same salary for years. I had to go to the market to confirm the bill my wife was sending. Women are great, I do not know how she is doing it. Anyone who claims that things are better must be manipulating things to get extra money. It was even by luck and grace of God that I was not sacked. The company I work for sacked a lot of persons because of how hard the economy is.”