Many Nigerians are not finding it funny in making ends meet since inflation set in due to the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2024. One of such individuals is Mr Dickson Aisowierhen, a father-of-four and petty trader had a chat with the Saturday Tribune recently in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Mr Aisowierhen sells female hair attachments unashamedly after disengaging from baby wares business due to low patronage. But today, he’s barely happy because of the situation of the Nigerian economy, especially the high cost of transportation, which he said, is taking its toll on his business and catering for his family.
Hear him: “My name is Dickson Aisowierhen. I’m from Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. I am married and I have four children.
“When I was in secondary school 20 years ago, I stayed with my grandfather who was selling baby things.
“I always went with him to his shop then. So, when I finished secondary school, I decided not to further my education and entered the business of baby wares.
“After some time, I noticed that the business was not flourishing so I decided to switch to hair attachment business. I started this business nine years ago.
“Before now, when transportation was low, I used to go to Lagos to buy my goods but now, because of the high cost of transportation and the challenges we face on the highway, I decided to do a waybill and sell here in Benin.”
According to him, another challenge the current hardship has posed to his survival is his inability to source more money for business expansion in spite of the much-touted trader money run by the last regime across the states of the federation to help the poor.
“The challenge I am facing is centered on money for expansion. There are also attachment companies that I would like to market their products, but their demands are high.”
He’s, however, furious with the current leaders on the saddle of leadership of the country, accusing them of being responsible for the woes of Nigerians since 2015.
“If I want to compare President Goodluck Jonathan time and now, it is obvious that that time was better in terms of security and prices of goods and foodstuffs.
“During that time, the prices of attachments were cheap and affordable but now, it is hard to see people buy these things to make their hair because the price is too high.
“Then, a big pack of attachments was sold for N700 and a small pack was N500.
“When Buhari came in 2015, the price doubled to N1500; but since President Tinubu entered, it is now selling for N4,000 to N5,000.
“So, how will somebody make hair with about N10,000? It’s too much. Then, if you had between N3000 to N4000, you were good to make your hair.
“Nevertheless, this regime favours my business because, you make more profit when you buy in bulk. This is because, when the prices of attachments increase, retailers make more profits,” he averred.
Speaking on the cost of foodstuffs, Mr Aisowierhen believes that while business men or traders are able to cope with the current inflationary trend, it’s not so with salary earners, whose take-home, he said, was too meagre to sustain them.
He, however, warned the Nigerian government to urgently address the hunger in the land before something would snap that could pose a danger to the corporate existence of the country.
According to him, poor Nigerians are only able to weather the storm of hunger because of Nigerians’ undying will to survive in the face of hardships.
“Even if a cup of rice is sold for N1000, it won’t affect me because I will be able to meet up. Are you not wondering how people are still feeding when things are getting expensive everyday? We are still surviving because of our will to survive.
“The situation of the country is mostly affecting government workers because of the meagre salaries they are receiving but the impact is not too heavy on business people.
“I urge the government to do something about the incessant increase in the prices of foodstuffs so that the poor won’t breakdown one day.
“Though the poor are still surviving, if these things continue to skyrocket in prices, the story will change one day.”
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