Nigerians dey belle face as transport money waka go high

Lagos traffic

Nigerians dey belle dey run as transport price go up make food cost high and money no reach house.

Petrol price don jump almost five times for 22 months, transport cost don increase by 20 to 100 percent, wey make food traders increase price for market because logistics cost don high.

Because of dis wahala, many families no fit chop three square meal again, dem dey manage as e be.

SBM Intelligence talk say for di last seven years, transport cost for Nigeria don rise well well. Bus fare for interstate travel don go up by 403.5 percent. Airfare don increase by 280.7 percent on average, and water transport fare don rise by 148.8 percent.

“Di thing wey affect low-income Nigerians pass be say, small businesses and traders wey depend on transport to carry goods don dey struggle. Cost of operation don high, so dem no get choice but to increase price for customers,” SBM Intelligence tok.

For interview wey she do with BusinessDay, Adebisi Olaoye, wey dey sell food for popular Ketu market for Lagos, talk say e don hard for am to meet up with wetin her customers and family need.

“As I dey sell food and I still get four pikin, e no easy make I provide three square meal for my family, talk less of meeting wetin my customers want,” Olaoye talk with serious frustration.

For interview wey she do with BusinessDay, Adebisi Olaoye, wey dey sell food for popular Ketu market for Lagos, yarn say e don hard for am to meet up with wetin her customers and family need.

“As I dey sell food and I still get four pikin, e no easy make I provide three square meal for my family, talk less of meeting wetin my customers want,” Olaoye talk with serious frustration.

Entrepreneur Yarn Say Cost of Cooking for Her Canteen Don Double Since 2024 Start

One food seller don cry say e don cost am double money to cook different food for her one-room canteen since 2024 begin, sake of how rice and beans price don high.

She talk say to cook one pot of stew or vegetable soup per day now dey cost over N40,000 to serve small above 100 customers, because people no too get money buy food like before.

Olaoye still yarn say most of her foodstuff like rice, yam, groundnut oil, and cassava flour na from different states dem dey bring enter Lagos. But as fuel price don jump, transport money don double, so e don force am to dey find another way to manage.

Petrol price dey waka between N800 to N900 per litre. E fit reach N930/litre as govment and petrol refiners still dey reason naira-for-crude mata.

The increase wey come because dem free petrol market don make life hard for Nigerians and add to poverty. NBS talk say 133 million Nigerians dey suffer multi-dimensional poverty.

“As first born pikin for my family wey dey do all the cooking, e go cost at least N15,000 to cook better pot of soup for six of us, even if I plan and manage well,” na wetin Akintewe Funmilayo, wey be Lagos youth, talk.

Funmilayo talk say she dey try balance between cooking for house and buying food for canteen.

Food Vendors Dey Complain Say Cost of Food Don High Well-Well

Food vendors dey talk say na wah to carry food items reach their shop, e don make everything cost. Person wey go one local restaurant say one spoon of rice na N400, and one spoon of beans still na N400. E no fit cancel order because dem don already dish am.

According to NBS data, food inflation dey 23.51%. E be say e don drop from 39.84% for December 2024, but na because dem rebased Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January 2025. Still, e high no be small.

SBM Intelligence analysis talk say within one year, price of staple food don double for many Nigerians wey no too get money.

On top healthy diet matter, Chief Economist for ARKK Economics and Data Limited, Samson G. Simon, talk say even people wey dey work well still dey struggle to chop better food because their money no dey reach.

“Nigerian Financial Services Market Report show say na only 2.4% of Nigerians dey earn pass N200,000 per month, while 3.7% dey earn between N150,000 and N200,000.”

“E talk say, about 8.3% dey collect between N100,000 to N150,000, while 19.3% dey earn N50,000 to N100,000. About 21.2% dey earn between N35,000 to N50,000; 27.8% dey collect N35,000, and 17.1% no get work at all for Naija.

Di report still show say three out of every 10 workers for Naija dey use more than 20% of dia salary for transport.”