Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on the Federal Government to intervene in the rising cost of goods and services in the country.
The residents who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja said that it was no longer easy for families to provide three meals a day.
Mr Yohanna Bulus, a civil servant, said that the high cost of living has made it difficult for an average Nigerians to feed and also attend to other needs of their families.
He urged government at all levels to bring necessary succour to especially food production and supply in the country.
Bulus said: “Government has to find a way to ease the current hardship. The people have tried to adjust in all ramifications but to no avail.
” We are appealing that government should do everything possible to make costs of food and other means of living less expensive. It is no longer funny.
” I have seven children, four are in a government-owned secondary school, while three are in primary level in private school but both schools had increased their fees and none is manageable.
” We only feed from hand to mouth now, sometimes twice a day and we have been forced to reduce the portion of food items because everything had gone up.
” It is not endurable anymore, we need help.”
Similarly, Mrs Aina Philip, a Teacher in Bwari said her husband had threatened to remove their five children from the private school they attend to an LEA Model Primary School close to their residence.
She said that the family resolved to make the change in order to adjust to the current economic situation and also make use of the meagre resources at hand to attend to other needs.
She said: ” My salary and that of my husband can no longer cater for the family needs. Now, food takes the bulk of the money and it is still not enough.
” Then you have rent, electricity bill, school fees, transportation and a lot more to attend to and every business person had added money on his or her goods and services.
” We all have no choice than to make adjustments that may not be smooth at all.
” We need government to intervene in some of these sectors to lower the costs of produce and services on behalf of the citizens so that we can truly breath,”he said.
Philip also urged Nigerians to be fervent in prayers for a divine intervention in the situation.
Mr Savior Udoh, a welder in Kubwa said that he was left to cater for his seven children with a not-so-productive business, lamenting that the constant harassment by area council tax collectors makes matters worse.
Udoh said that his family now relied on his wife’s striving food retail business for their needs.
He said: “Most times, we are forced to take food from my wife’s shop to eat and you know such things crumbles business, especially when you keep taking and can’t refund.
” Things are hard for us, there’s no time for eating, it can be anytime of the day and it can be once, not to talk of eating a balanced diet or with proteins such as meat.
” We can only do our best and leave the rest to God, ” he said.
Udoh urged government at all levels to assist in every way possible to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.
Mrs Rachel Ejiro, a resident in Area one and a mother of three said that food was paramount in her home, adding she has no enough resources to buy clothes for her children.
Ejiro said that she had to cut down on excesses which include clothing, shoes and other accessories.
She added that her five children would have to make do with what they have and use it judiciously to pass down to their younger ones.
Ejiro said: “So that I will not have to worry on that aspect but on school fees and other necessities.
