As the economy continues to bite much harder, Nigerians are getting frustrated and confused. As they say, a hungry man is an angry man. People feel they are being neglected by the politicians they elect to represent them; it feels like they are taking advantage of them and treating them just the way they want, abandoning and ignoring the promises they made to their followers.
The Newsline newspaper moves around the town to hear the public's opinions.
Usman Abubakar, civil servant: Since the removal of fuel subsidies without adequate provisions for the civil servants and the country entirely, life has been difficult and expensive. The so-called average Nigerian before is now at the poverty line, while those who were once at the poverty line are now sick, and some are dying due to a lack of food and money because everything is on the high side. We now live below three dollars per month in Nigeria, and the naira is crashing day by day without our leaders doing anything about it.
We, the civil servants, our take-home package, cannot take us up to the halfway point of the month, not to mention other responsibilities such as paying bills and fees. It's getting out of hand; people are suffering. Our government should come to our aid, please.
Kayode Sunday, student: My future ambition is to become a medical doctor in order to save lives, but all that got flushed down the drain. My parents cannot afford my school fees any longer because life is so expensive that even having something to eat is now a problem. I have to leave school for a mechanic workshop to assist my parents in being able to put food on the table. Seeing some of my friends going to school makes me cry. Our leaders should know that our country is moving backwards and not progressing. The once-giant African nation cannot do anything for its citizens' safety. Mr. President, we will like you to look into new strategies to reduce the suffering of the masses.
Haj. Fatima Sulaiman, retiree: Anything that has to do with retired civil servants in Nigeria does not hold water, and that is why our leaders are busy embezzling what is supposed to be given to millions of people, leaving masses in all sorts of difficulties that lead to the loss of life and property. If a serving civil servant is crying for what to eat, then what do you expect of a retired civil servant? All of these are based on selfish interests and immoral attitudes towards serving the nation. Our leaders cannot protect us; instead, they want hunger to finish us once and for all. Our salaries cannot give us what to eat with our families, which will last up to 10 days due to the high cost of food materials and other services.
Actually, there is still a lot of work to do; otherwise, Nigeria is going down a collapsing path, and the earlier our leaders tackle the problems, the better.
Mr.Chibaike Obonna, businessman: Things are going from bad to worse. Many people in Nigeria cannot afford three square meals, and goods and services do not have price control. Businesses are not flourishing at all due to a lack of money and the falling of the naira against the dollar, which have affected the Nigerian economy completely. This has made the cost of living so expensive for average and poor Nigerians.