The sharp increase in fuel prices, coupled with ongoing inflation, has worsened poverty in Nigeria, plunging numerous families into financial distress, NIGPOST reports.
In Akwa Ibom State, for instance, the economic strain has not only crippled households but also fueled an alarming increase in gender-based violence (GBV).
Findings by our reporter have shown that women who once contributed to their families’ income now face heightened domestic abuse as their financial independence erodes under economic pressure.
The inability of families to afford necessities, coupled with the frustration of a failing economy, has turned many homes into battlegrounds where violence thrives in the shadow of poverty.
Picture this: Uduak Eyo, 37, breaks into sobs intermittently as she describes the pain and torture her husband put her through when she lost her job at an eatery.
“The last eight months have been hell. He is constantly reminding me of how he made a mistake by getting married to me and leaving behind graduates who were rushing him,” she sobbed.
Uduak, who hails from Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria, said her husband became verbally and physically abusive because she could no longer earn an income.
“He began drinking and staying out late,” she said.
Reporting the abuse to her in-laws did not help.
Most of the women interviewed by DAILY POST have two major things in common: they are from Akwa Ibom State and are currently out of jobs.
They all have similar experiences of gender-based violence in their homes, which they attribute to the bad economy, rising inflation, as well as the impact of fuel subsidy removal in the country. They have all shared stories of physical, emotional, and verbal abuse.
Hardship: The Genesis
During his May 29, 2023, presidential inaugural speech, President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy.
This policy was intended to free up financial resources for other sectors, encourage domestic refineries to increase petroleum production, reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel, and boost employment.
However, the reality on the ground has been far different.
Recently, there has been widespread public outcry over the inability of the average Nigerian to afford necessities like food, fuel, and gas.
For example, the cost of major food items has surged in markets nationwide, as inflation drives up the prices of goods and services.
The price of filling a 12.5kg gas cylinder increased by 69.15% year-on-year, according to a National Bureau of Statistics report, now averaging N17,500.
Despite the government’s expectations, the removal of the subsidy has so far only intensified the economic struggles of ordinary families, leaving many struggling to survive.
From data obtained from the internal audit of the Central Bank of Nigeria, for April-June 2024, there was a steady increase in the inflation rate in Nigeria. In April, the annual inflation in the country stood at 33.69%; in May, at 33.95%; while in June, it was 34.19%. Food inflation, also known as non-core inflation, according to the CBN, was 40.53% in April, 40.66% in May, and 40.87% in June.
However, in July and August 2024, the headline inflation rate eased to 33.40% and 32.15% respectively. The August 2024 headline inflation rate showed a decrease of 1.25 percentage points compared to the July 2024 headline inflation rate.
Faith Paulinus, a Fiscal Accountability Analyst with Policy Alert, a civil society organization in Nigeria, observed that the headline inflation rate, which accelerated in June 2024, was the highest since March 1996 amid the removal of fuel subsidies and a weakening local currency. She noted that the decline in these indicators in August 2024 does not necessarily mean prices of goods are dropping, but rather that the rate of price increases has slowed compared to previous months.
She said the trend diminishes the purchasing power of the average Nigerian family, businesses, and services, with little or no clear indication of when households will be free.
Inflation has a significant effect, causing families to reduce their purchasing power in many areas, and this can trigger violence in some homes,” she said.
Uduak Akpan, a single mother of three and an office assistant in an organization in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said the increase in fuel prices and the hike in transport fares is making it difficult for her to provide for her kids.
She used to spend N200 to and from her place of work daily, but now it’s N800. Akpan said she could not even afford the transport fare to her office or feed her family with her meager salary.
I have not achieved anything, and it’s even difficult to get a better job that will pay higher, as even a salesgirl’s job pays between N20,000 to N30,000, and that is like jumping from frying pan to fire,” she said.
In extreme conditions, some families in Akwa Ibom, South-South Nigeria, were left with little choice but to beg for leftovers at restaurants, as revealed by Satubros, a restaurant owner on Asutan Street, who regretted that such arrangements are no longer feasible as customers hardly have enough to eat, let alone leave leftovers.
The situation also compelled a 22-year-old widow, identified as Grace Udeme Esenowo, to feed her four children with chicken and fish from the farm where she works in the Okon Clan of Eket in the state.
Stories like this raise important questions about governance in Nigeria and the gap between the leaders and citizens.
Reacting to the incident, a social reformer and author, Andy Akpotive, who spoke to our correspondent, said it was not actually the duty of government to feed its citizens, especially when they are not doing so through a social welfare scheme like in other countries where the government supports people through hard times.
Akpotive noted that Grace’s situation was a call to action for the government to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, create equal employment opportunities for citizens to work, earn a living, and take care of their families.
If you are a socialist state and want to help your people, you must have a veritable database that you’ll use to make your calculation. This set of people are the ones we can budget a certain amount for monthly, but do we have such data?” he queried.
Another woman going through a similar experience is Eka, a hairdresser in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria.
She has four children and is a victim of domestic violence. She said she has reported the matter to the welfare unit of the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs.
My husband has been using a wheelbarrow to supply drinks since they stole his vehicle,” she said.
“When leaving the house, sometimes he will give me N1,500 or N2,000 to cook soup, even when we have nothing in the house.”
She narrates how she cooks for her children with the small amount of money she receives and how she gets the beating of her life if her husband comes home and discovers that she did not keep food for him, as it was hardly enough for the children.
On his part, Okechukwu John, a trader in Etuk Market, Uyo, said men suffer gender-based violence at home too, alleging how his wife always verbally abuses him for not being able to provide enough for his family.
His words: “Who is smiling in this economy? Also, when you talk of abuse, we men suffer it too but we don’t like voicing it out. For instance, when I give my wife what I can afford to go to the market, she will tell me to go myself because the money was too small.
“And you think she’s joking, she will never go. Is that not violence against a man? When you are working yourself out to take care of your family and someone is not appreciating it, what do you call that?”
Otuekong Franklyn Isong, Chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), Akwa Ibom State Council, explained that most of the time, men are at the receiving end of the harsh economy, as they foot the bills and take care of many responsibilities. However, he noted that frustration and hardship should not make a man react violently. “I have heard several cases where men abandon their families, leave their homes, and never return. People are committing suicide. Frustration is telling more on men,” he said.
Leave a Reply