Di rising cost of living dey push Nigerians to di point wey be say dem no know wetin to do again.
Wit inflation wey don almost hit di highest in thirty years for January, almost half of di population dey live inside poverty now.
Di money wey dem dey earn dey below $1 a day. Dem no fit buy basic items.
Di decision of goment to end petrol subsidy and devalue di naira make prices of tins go up well-well.
Dis decison dey affect di pockets of most Nigerians badly, and e dey make dem dey vex well-well.
Di anger don make dem to dey loot warehouses wey food dey, trucks wey dey transport food items, and protests for streets.
E neva tey wey di Central bank of Nigeria raise interest rates to 22.75% as dem dey try to keep control inflation.
But as di interest rate low pass di inflation rate, e mean say di value of any savings for naira go reduce afta one year.
So, how Nigerians dey cope wit dis economic squeeze?
See some of di strategies wey dem dey use.
Buy now, pay small-small
Wit di inflation wey dey kontinu to go up, di prices of consumer goods wey pipo dey chop and use evriday fit double or even triple within days or weeks.
Wen you dey tink to buy dis evriday goods, consumers dey confused about wia dem go stand.
Dem no know weda dem go buy now and pay di actual price or make dem pay more later.
Di way wey pipo no dey buy tins again like before mean say no be evribody get savings to fall back on.
To cope, Abike Jaji, wey get clothing shop for Lagos, choose di buy-now-pay-later deal.
Na pesin wey dey sell kitchen items for wia she sdey stay give her di offer.
Di 60-year-old say witout di ‘pay small -small plan wey no get interest, di cost of her pots and pans o don nearly double.
“I buy dis pots for December and just pay finish for February,” she tok.
“Di seller dey charge 250,000 naira ($155; £122) for di same set, wey I buy for 165,000 naira ($102; £82) over three months.
If to say di ‘pay small-small’ option no dey, I for pay higher.”
Buy plenti
For di pipo wey dey lucky to get small money for hand from dia salary wen month end, to save am in naira no go get head.
Inflation dey make naira no get value so e make more sense to buy some items in bulk..
Wakeelah Lawal-Tijani, na medical researcher for one federal institution, and im dey buy goods in bulk.
“If I need anytin i go just buy am. I no dey wait to confam di price, sake of say prices of items dey increase evri minute,” she tok.
She dey cook and preserve perishable food items for her freezer. She dey also store dim ones wey get long shelf-life for place wey dey cool and dry inside her house untill she need dem.
“For meat or chicken, for instance, I go boil, air fry, put am for Ziploc (plastic bag) and store am for freezer. Air frying dey help me save my oil.”
Tink again how you fit reduce spending
No be evribody fit buy tins in bulk now. Instead make dem cut costs and leave anytin wey dem no really need.
Three pipo tell BBC News say na brand wey dey cheap dem dey buy now; and dem don stop to eat for outside, dem dey avoid socialising for clubs and recreation centres.
Dem dey enta di same motor togeda instead of dem to enta one -one, and sometimes dem dey trek instead of dem to enta public transport.
BBC News follow anoda pesin tok, im say im dey now go events like weddings, birthdays and oda party dem so dat im go enjoy di free food. Anoda pesin tok say she dey skips meals.
Ibrahim Babangida, na Katsina-based researcher, im say “I stop to use my car until e dey 100% necessary”.
Im say: “I stop to dey go restaurants hubs evritime for ice cream wit my wife for over two months. For di first time since December 2019, I neva subscribe for my DStv.”
Turning to local alternatives
For February di price of cooking gas for Nigeria bin jump to 1,300 naira from 800 naira for di beginning of dis year.
Di price don nearly doubled over di last twelve months.
Some pipo don begin use firewood or charcoal stoves to cook instead of gas.
Adverts full Nigeria social media wey dey encourage pipo to buy dis type of stove.
Pipo dey try to save money for water too. For one local town for Ogun state, just outside of Lagos, sellers dey refill disposable plastic bottles wit tap water. Dis na becos di price of bottled water don double within one year.
Meanwhile for some parts of Benin southern Nigeria, Vanguard Newspaper report say sellers don return to wetin pipo sabi locally as iced water.
Iced water na ordinary tap water wey cold well-well, dem dey tie am for soft nylon.
E bin dey popular well-well for early 2000s – e cheap pass bottled water because e no dey too clean and safe to drink like dat.
Source: BBC Pidgin
