Below is a true life story of a friend.

Early 2015 and mixed reactions about the coming elections filled the office environment. Though we had jobs, we were hopeful of better ones when the economy gets better.

The question was about the future of Nigeria. At least everyone could agree on one thing “the present situation is bad”. What does the next four years hold for us? It all depends on who the winner of the election would be we all agreed. But we all knew it would not be easy, considering the nation’s current revenue base.

To cut a long story short, elections were held and a new dispensation started. I was happy to see there was no fight between my operations and general manager as the result were in favour of my GM’s choice candidate.

For the first few months after May 29th 2015 it was like the nation paused. I still remember my GM saying things needed to be accessed for thoroughness. Soon all contracts we had were put on hold and paying salaries became difficult as no revenue was coming in. Soon afterwards contracts started getting cancelled. Paying salaries became even more difficult. My MD quickly looked to the banks for loan. It didn’t take long before banks were hit with the economic realities and names of bank debtors were published not minding the state of the economy when these loans where collected. The right thing would have been to access how the economy had changed and the government intervenes. The banks couldn’t offer help. My GM started hiding his face; “I don’t understand this” he would tell us. Things got worse. In August My MD had to pull the trigger and let everyone go without salaries and terminal benefits as well. My GM retained his job. A new chapter of my life opened.

The hunt for another job already had started when contracts were being put on hold. Even with a Masters degree in Engineering, getting a job in the oil sector where I am well trained and experienced was more difficult than going to heaven. I quickly looked to other sectors but the results were the same. No jobs. The real face of life in Naija was gradually creeping into my home. I was still hopeful things would change, but things had already changed. I quickly withdrew my child from school, reduced meal quantity and quality to reduce cost of running the home while I kept on searching for a job. We soon became two searching as my wife had just finished school. What we would hear every day was news of mass sacking. I applied for every job I saw qualified or not, I gave my CV to everyone I knew. I gave CVs to virtually everyone I had conversation with, but there was no result. I was quick to conclude it was witch craft attack. I met with my Pastor who prayed for me. I think his prayers have kept me alive till today. Not understanding the situation around me anymore, I had to start looking for source of income for the family. Friends and family members were there as palliatives, but it was not enough to run a family of four.

I took my search to building sites. The year was ending and everyone was crying the economy was bad. You had to be known to be taken for any job at the few available working sites as many sites had stopped work. Since I had no special skill in that sector, I could only work as a helper. It added to what I could get from well wishers to run my family. I could go home sometimes with more than two thousand Naira at the end of the day’s work. I would search for another when work finished at one site. It sometimes took a week or two to get another as sites only got fewer by the day. It seemed like the country was coming to a conclusive stop.

The prices of food stuff started rising at the fasted rate since I became an adult. Thanks to the exchange rate, in few days prices would increase twice and I kept wondering what was going on. Even prices of locally made goods obeyed this upward increase. My little earnings soon became nothing. Sometimes we would go hungry at home. I had to look for another means of survival.

Soon the landlord came knocking early 2016. I was lucky to stumble miraculously into some good money from my savings when I was working. It was from my retirement savings. I paid him for the months I overstayed my rent and for which he was patient with me and moved to a smaller apartment, and with the rest I bought a taxi and became a cab driver.

It got better than being a helper at building sites. If I could keep my car in good condition, I was sure of between N2,500 and N4,000 daily. It would have been more but a chunk of a cab driver’s sweat in Nigerian goes to uniform men and park operators and I was not left out. I would give as much as N600 at three police check points along my route even though my vehicle documents were okay. They would use delay tactics to hold you down and if you don’t want your passengers to leave your vehicle you would have to pay and collect a number for that day. A bad day is considered as when you are caught by a police officer disobeying traffic laws. Some police officers took advantage of road with poorly marked cautions signs to extort monies from us. A cab driver for me still was better than being a helper at construction sites.

I soon found out I was not alone in this joblessness as I found so many graduates like me who’s daily bread are being threatened by change.

On the 16th of May 2016 I woke to see fuel was selling at N145 per liter. The whole business of cab driving was thrown into a state of confusion as passengers were not accepting any increase in taxi fare. All payments to park operators and uniform men remained; cost of buying fuel has almost doubled. Passengers are unwilling to share in this problem and to make matters worse, there are now a lot fewer passengers leaving motorist to scramble for the very few ones who still find reasons to come out of their house. I am on the road from morning till late and can’t come home with N2,000. All monies worked go into buying fuel. Sometimes I just don’t feel like going out but I spend the whole day thinking what would be next to hit me in this wave of change. I am now in search of a new means to survive under this.

I am appealing to good Nigerians who have job to please help. God bless you.

*no thanks to foreign exchange.

Change....they say....isn't easy.

If the birds can feed, you too can...Much more!

Blessings are yours.

Change

May God bless us all.naija is wacked

hmmmmm! it shall be well

We told you but you never listened, that's the price of change, the hardship is all over the nation

there is hunger in the land.

[size=18pt]Buhari is a curse to Nigeria[/size]

Nigerians will survive the current misery and its agents.

@OP, it's good of you to be truthful. Many liars and paid agents will come here to sugarcoat what they are experiencing in this CHANGE era, keep the struggle alive, God will send a helper your way sooner than you expect

The truth is that many people suffer today and can no longer afford the basic necessities of life like food, shelter, clothing, medicals, etc but we miraculously accept it. This is unfortunate.