If person never feel am, e dey come. Cost of living for this our country don turn monster wey dey swallow people hope every single day. Before, person fit manage small money survive till next salary. Today, even the salary itself no dey reach half month. Na why many people dey talk say “cost of living wan kill the living”—and e no be joke.
Market no be the same again. Something wey you buy ₦5,000 last year don turn ₦12,000 today without apology. Wetin be ₦3,000 today fit become ₦7,000 before you blink. Rice, garri, beans, oil—basic food o, no be luxury—don become VIP items. Some families don reduce food from three times a day to two; some don reach one. Hunger don become permanent visitor for many homes. Pikin dey go school without food. Parents dey pretend say dem don chop just to give children small portion. Na suffering wey wear fine cloth.
Transport no gree us rest. Everybody don turn leggedezbenz owner. Fuel price dey jump like say na long jump competition. Once fuel price move, transport fare go follow sharp-sharp—and e no dey ever come down again. Okada, keke, bus—everything don increase. Person wey dey earn for one side of town go dey calculate whether e still make sense to go work or just stay house. Sometimes, transport alone fit swallow half of daily income. Wetin remain? Hunger and frustration.
Rent nko? Landlord no send. One-year rent don turn two years’ rent. If you complain, dem go tell you say another person ready—and true true, another person go dey ready because where dem dey come from, their own landlord don already raise rent to chase dem out. Many people don relocate from city go far areas, spending more time and money on transport just to find small affordable shelter. Some dey squat with friends and family. Pride don die. Privacy don disappear. Stress don become normal lifestyle. Face-me-I-slap-you don dey look like luxury.
Salary no dey increase, but prices dey increase—every day, every week. Employers go tell you say economy hard, company no dey make profit. Government go tell you say “be patient.” But patience no dey cook soup. Patience no dey pay school fees. Patience no dey buy drugs when person sick. You no fit tell hungry man make e be patient—hunger no dey understand grammar.
Small business people dey suffer pass. Cost of raw materials don high, power supply no stable, diesel expensive, tax full ground. If dem increase price, customers go complain. If dem no increase, dem go run at loss. Many shops don close quietly. Dreams dey die every day—no siren, no announcement.
The painful part be say people dey try. Nigerians dey hustle. From morning till night, people dey grind. But the reward no dey match the effort. You fit work like elephant and chop like ant. Na this country be the real monkey dey work, baboon dey chop. This kind life fit push anybody into depression. No be say people lazy; the system just wicked.
Government suppose understand say this no be ordinary complaint. This na survival issue. Policies wey dey increase suffering without protection for the poor na cruelty. If subsidy remove, where the cushioning plan? If currency dey fall, wetin government dey do to protect citizens? Ordinary people no need big grammar; dem need food, transport, shelter, and hope.
Cost of living wan kill the living, but e no suppose be so. Leaders suppose feel the pain of the people, not just hear am for news. Until policies begin reflect real life, until accountability enter governance, suffering go continue to rise. And if living no fit afford to live again, wetin remain for society?
Na time to stop pretending say everything dey okay. Everything no dey okay. And if nothing change, cost of living no go just kill the living—it go bury our collective future.
As we dey bring you tori wey concern our yard every Saturday, remember say Tori for Yard na your space too. If anything dey happen for your area wey you wan make the world hear, send am come ENN — together, we go make sure every voice counts.
