COVID-19: Citizens groan over food price spike

A NIGERIAN working with big finance company, Opeyemi Adeyemi has expressed great concerns over rising cost of food items in the country amidst dwindling income compounded by coronavirus pandemic.

  Adeyemi who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in Lagos said he had a pay cut due to the lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

 “To keep your job during this period, a pay cut is a relief, as thousands were fired,” Mr Adeyemi, a 42-year-old finance expert who lives at Obalende, on Lagos Island, said.

“I was overwhelmed with the prices of foodstuffs. I often discussed with my wife, who was nursing our second child, ensuring we find a substitute for afternoon meals by taking garri or noodles instead of a three-square meal in a day.”

According to Adeyemi, the impact of high cost of food item was high on him and hishousehold as his salary was slashed by 30 per cent to sustain his job.

He lamented that he lost his entire savings just to cater for the family and could still not cope with the challenges.

 “The cost of electricity also skyrocketed during this period and I had to work from home. Despite paying a higher electricity bill, most times I still have to get fuel to power my generator, due to the erratic power supply in my area during this period,” a visibly angry Adeyemi let out his frustrations.

Source says, Adeyemi’s story is that of millions of Nigerians who lost considerable regular income due to the loss of a job or drastic cuts in salaries and wages, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Dataphyte’s market survey reveals that Adeyemi’s ordeal of his lower income chasing higher food costs corresponds too with many people’s responses as the pandemic continue to affect many sectors of the economy.