News Investigators/ For many residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the daily routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner is now a luxury.
The residents spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
According to the residents, a combination of rising fuel prices, costlier foodstuffs and higher transport fares have left them cutting back on how much and how often they eat.
Mrs Anita Egbo, a housewife and mother of five, said, “we now eat what we can afford.
“My household has now gone from three meals a day to two, such that skipping breakfast or dinner has become the order of the day,” she said.
According to Mr Joseph Akpan, a father of three, the problem starts before he even gets to the market.
” I live in Wuse, which is within the city centre, and the cost of transportation to the market to buy groceries for the family is something I have to budget specially for.
“The cost of the items in the market is another matter as the market price keeps fluctuating and increasing by the day.
” I used to buy groceries in bulk that will last my family for a month, but these days , i only buy what the cash at hand can afford in order of priority.
“My salary as a civil servant is barely sufficient to cater for the needs of my family, and I pray our salaries will be reviewed soonest,” he said .
Similarly, Mr Friday Solomon, a civil servant said: “in the morning, I sign the attendance register in a government office and by evening, I am behind the wheel of a taxi chasing the fares that will decide whether my family eats dinner.
“In the taxi, nobody knows my grade level, and I prefer it that way. Nobody asks why a man of my rank is driving at night.
“The taxi pays for food. It also takes care of some certain household expenses, which my salary after many years in service cannot augment,” he said.
According to Solomon, if for any reason he fails to do his “kabu-kabu” business after work, his family of six may have to skip meals for that day.
Ms Ngozi Ubani, a widow and mother of three said the cost of feeding a family had become a major concern, particularly for households with several dependants.
“The increasing prices of staple foods has forced me to reduce meal portions and reconsider daily food choices for the family.
“I have resorted to buying cheaper alternatives as we can no longer cope with the rising cost of living,” she said.
Ubani called for measures to reduce food prices and ease the pressure on households.
“I pray the government will support farmers, improve food distribution and address transportation costs, which the traders say contributes to rising food prices.
“The government as a matter of urgency should consider increasing the salaries of workers as this will help ease the burden on household expenditures,” she said.
A trader in Apo market, Mr Salisu Usman, said prices of staples such as rice, beans, garri, yam and tomatoes had continued to rise sharply.
” A tuber of yam which was sold between N500 and N700 is now being sold for N2,500, the same thing goes for a dustbin basket of tomatoes, onions and pepper, which have tripled in prices.
“Although, the seasons contribute to the increases, the major causes is mainly attributed to high cost of production and transportation, ” he said.
Halima Ahmed, another trader, said she usually observed hunger on the faces of many of her customers from behind her counter.
“I know which customer is struggling by what they stop buying from the market.
“First it is meat, then oil, then they ask for half a measure. Some of them pass my shop and look away, because they still owed me from their last purchase.
“That looking away is the part of hunger no price list captures.
“Where neighbours know each other by name, need carries a social cost, and people begin to avoid the places where it shows,”Ahmed said.
For Mr Ebuka Onyedika, a titled chief whose title rests on his known generosity, the weight is heavier.
“People still come to my house and call me Chief. They expect help as before. Now I stay inside when I hear the gate open, because I have nothing to give, and I cannot tell them so.
“Things are very rough for many genuine citizens, and it is by the grace of God that many are able to get by these days.
“The idea of three square meals is never only about food. It is daily proof that a household and the person as its head is still standing.
“People are now skipping meals and hiding it, guarding the last thing hunger has not taken from them: how others see them,” Onyedika said.
Meanwhile, an economist, Mrs Anabel Akunna, said the situation reflected a broader pressure on household incomes due to limited resources.
Akunna called for policies that would improve agricultural productivity, stabilise prices and support the citizens
“The government at all levels need to work at ensuring increase in income for workers and if that is not done, families will continue to struggle just to meet basic needs,” she said.
NAN