The air hangs heavy in the markets in Nigeria, thick with the cloying aroma of desperation. Here, amidst the cacophony of haggling vendors and the weary shuffle of shoppers, a grim reality unfolds. The price of survival has become an obscene joke, a cruel punchline to the already threadbare existence of the Nigerian masses.
A bag of rice, once a staple, now demands a king's ransom of 60,000 naira. Flour, the cornerstone of countless meals, sits at an exorbitant 36,000 naira. Even the humble bag of cement, a symbol of progress and shelter, mocks with its 6,000-naira price tag. Beans, a source of protein for the malnourished, are a luxury at 80,000 naira. Millet and Soya Beans, once affordable alternatives, now flicker just out of reach at 30,000 and 20,000 naira respectively.
These are not mere numbers; they are sentences of hunger pronounced upon the Nigerian proletariat. The minimum wage, a paltry 30,000 naira, is a cruel joke in the face of this gastronomic extortion. It is a wage that forces Nigerians to spend a staggering 98% of their meager income on food alone, leaving nothing for rent, healthcare, education, or even the most basic semblance of dignity.
This is not a new story, but it is one that grows more desperate with each passing day. The Buhari administration, despite its promises of change, has sleepwalked into a quagmire of its own making. The devaluation of the naira, coupled with rising inflation and an overdependence on oil exports, has created a perfect storm of economic hardship. The promised agricultural reforms have sputtered, failing to deliver on their potential to alleviate the burden on the most vulnerable.
But to paint this solely as a failing of the current administration would be a dangerous oversimplification. The seeds of this crisis were sown long before, under the Jonathan administration. The rampant corruption, the profligate spending, and the policy paralysis that characterized those years laid the groundwork for the economic instability we witness today.
However, it is under the current government that the chickens have truly come home to roost. The Marxist critique, with its emphasis on the inherent contradictions of capitalism, offers a chillingly apt lens through which to view the Nigerian predicament. The working class, the very engine of the economy, is being systematically squeezed, its surplus value extracted to prop up a failing system. The rich get richer, while the poor are left to fight over scraps.
The human cost of this economic alchemy is staggering. Children, their bellies distended with malnutrition, stare vacantly at the world through hollow eyes. Families huddle together in cramped shacks, their dreams suffocated by the ever-present threat of hunger. The social fabric, already strained, begins to tear at the seams.
This is not just an economic crisis; it is a moral one. The Nigerian government cannot, in good conscience, stand idly by while its people are slowly immiserated. The time for empty promises and half-hearted measures is over. Concrete action is needed, and it is needed now.
The government must prioritize food security, investing in agricultural initiatives that empower smallholder farmers and reduce reliance on imports. It must crack down on corruption, ensuring that public funds are used for the betterment of all, not the enrichment of a select few. It must raise the minimum wage to a level that allows for a dignified existence, not just bare survival.
These are not radical demands; they are the basic tenets of a just society. The Nigerian people deserve better. They deserve a government that prioritizes their well-being, that understands that their prosperity is not a burden, but the bedrock upon which a strong and vibrant nation is built.
The alternative is too grim to contemplate. A nation on the brink, its people consumed by the primal urge to survive. A society fractured, its anger simmering just beneath the surface. The Nigerian government must act, and it must act decisively, before the hunger that gnaws at the bellies of its people turns into a roar that shakes the very foundations of the nation.
This is not just a call to action; it is a plea for humanity. In the bustling markets in Nigeria, amidst the desperation and the defiance, a flicker of hope remains. The Nigerian people are resilient, their spirit unbroken. But their patience is wearing thin. The time for action is now. The future of Nigeria, the fate of its people, hangs in the balance. Will the government choose to save them, or will it condemn them to a future defined by hunger and despair? The answer, etched in the faces of the struggling masses, awaits.
* Aminu Adamu is a Sociologist and Freelance Journalist
