stories told by poor masses -Surviving the" change " and scarcity of fuel

THE past few weeks have been very tough
and challenging for many Nigerians. The
crippling fuel scarcity and epileptic power
supply have added to the burdens of many
Nigerians. Although the critical situation has
not spared any class in the social order, it had
affected the already impoverished average
worker more. The traders also, are groaning
under the yoke of economic hardship.
Besides physical discomfort caused by lack of
power supply to homes, staying on endless
queues at filling stations, or being forced to
pay hiked transport fares as a result of the
prevalent fuel scarcity, the traumatic
experience Nigerians have been forced to
endure in the past weeks has strained their
pockets to breaking points.
To survive the hard times, many have devised
various strategies and methods, while
anticipating respite. From skipping meals and
trips, rationing resources, cutting down on
domestic expenses to making practical
adjustments in their lifestyles, Nigerians have
shown their creative genius in the art of
resilience.
A cross-section of the people share their
experiences with SATURDAY SUN.
Before now, Mrs. Evelyn Madu, who lives in
the Ajegunle area of Lagos and works at
Marina, Lagos, paid N100 in fare from
Boundary area to CMS. But now, she has to
part with N250 per trip. “What I do to beat the
high fare is to come out as early as 5am.
Once you are able to do that, you would be
able to board the bus at N150. If by mistake
you come out a few minutes past 5am you
would have to pay N250,” she said.
For Mr. Wale Olaoye, a civil servant, the way
round the fare hike was to resort to trekking
half-way to his office at Alas before boarding
public bus for the rest of the journey. “I had
no alternative plan than to walk because there
are other demands to be met at home, and I
can’t spend all my money on public transport,”
he explained.
Olaoye also revealed that at home, he also

devised a feeding formula which he tagged, “0
—1—1” or “0—1/2—1,” which, by
interpretation means forgoing breakfast,
taking soaked garri and groundnut in the
afternoon, while indulging full course meal
only at night.
Also, the family had to ration food to so that
what they have can last till the end of the
month, he said. “The situation in many
families, including mine, does not warrant
asking the children whether they are satisfied
or not, but to ensure something enters their
stomach. Who cares nowadays whether a
child is filled or not, what you ask them is,
have taken something? That is the sign of the
time for you.”
Olaoye, who is a middle level officer also said
he had stopped switching on his generating
set between 8pm and 4am, owing to fuel
scarcity and cash crunch. “My generator is
now on holiday. I only put it on about three
days in a week now. To counter the effect of
the unbearable heat, we now throw open our
windows at night. At times, we sleep outside
on our verandah till 3am or 4am. We are not
afraid of night marauders again because it’s
not only my family members who sleep
outside at night. We have several neighbours
that have joined us and we have formed a
group called the Outside Sleeping Team,”
Olaoye revealed.
For a middle class employee such as Mr. Tony
Ohakwe, a media consultant, there is no
shame foregoing the privilege of being
chauffer-driven in his car in the light of the
trauma. He had parked his cars and sent his
driver on leave. He lamented the poor
economy. “Transportation fare is high. You
must plan before you move. Sales have
dropped. Man-hours are lost at the filling
stations. Many like me, have abandoned their
cars. I sent my driver on leave and parked my
cars. It is so unbearable. The government may
have good intention, but they should fast
track their strategy. It is a wake up call to the
government,” he said, advising government to
tap into other revenue sources to boost the
economy. “It is high time they looked into
other sources of economy, everything hangs
on oil. For instance, they should try solar and
coal so that PMS would be