On Nairametrics, we also provide platform for young Nigerians to express their views on the economy no matter how inexperienced they are. They are the leaders of tomorrow and should be heard more often. In this article, Imran explains how he believes Nigerians should combat the recession headlong.
Economic Recession; Help Me to Help you is the Answer- Show your Creativity and Innovative Ideas not Exploitation.
In times like this, everybody needs to come together and foster ways for survival, situation like this call for innovative solutions to our collective problems. It is disheartening to note that many people especially business class be it in any form; from petty trader to supermarket owner; taxi to luxury bus service providers have capitalized on this peculiar situation to hike prices of goods and services beyond ordinary citizens reach. Of course there are some commodities and services that are unaffected by the Naira-Dollar disparity but then some have chosen within the confine and under the evil umbrella of unsympathetic associations to add more salt to the injury already sustain.
For instance how could commodity “A” cost N250 in one town and N400 in another? How could a trip (per drop) within one town cost N80 or even higher if farther and N40 in another town? Whereas the cost of production or working capital remain relatively cheap and even unchanged. Calling it exploitation of the highest order is inadequate not even in situation like ours where there is no end in sight, not even any feasible solution.
Neither hiking of price nor waiting for the government positive intervention is the answer, what we must do at least temporarily is to “come together, work together, grow together and everybody will be safe”.
Complaining/exonerating and throwing of blames on who/who-is-not responsible for the present economic quagmire can only increase the intensity of the problem and possibly aggravate it.
Though it lies squarely on the shoulders of the government both federal and state to find permanent solution to this predicament, it’s also ours sole responsibility within the middle and lower strata to create palliatives for ourselves in order not to be adversely affected. I believe it’s better if Okonkwo sells a bottle of groundnut oil for N250 and not N400 to Musa while Musa give him a return trip to his house for N40 and not N80. Just think about this and be the first to act.
Nigeria go better!
Imran Abdullahi
A Student from Bayero University Kano
Fellow of the Nigerian Student Leaders program (2016)
Shifting blames