The Dean Emeritus Faculty of Law at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Professor Ngozi Ezeilo (SAN) has lamented the harsh realities of the country’s economic downturn.
The Professor in a post on her X (formerly Twitter) handle @NgoziEzeilo lamented how her monthly salary is no longer sufficient to meet her most basic needs; highlighting the rapid depreciation of purchasing power, the devaluation of the Naira, and the relentless rise in inflation.
She further disclosed spending N40,000 on a single trip load of water, approximately 2,800 gallons, from a water tanker.
The significant increase in price, from N35,000 just a few weeks prior, left her questioning the alarming rate of price fixing and the burden it places on ordinary citizens.
“I just discovered by purchasing the water that my monthly salary can only pay for a limited quantity of water supply,” she said.
Attributing the surge in water prices to the rising cost of diesel, the professor emphasized the grim reality faced by many Nigerians, saying, the ultimate buyers bear the brunt of economic instability.
To sustain her household’s water needs for a month, she estimated requiring at least two tankers at a staggering cost of N80,000, which she said would have taken oone-fifth of her professorial cadre salary in a Federal University.
However, the water crisis, according to her is merely the tip of the iceberg. The professor also outlined the cascading effects of economic hardship, including challenges in affording food, electricity, transportation, house rent, school fees, healthcare, generator fueling and more.
“One can see that the N1million being prop
osed as minimum wage by the Labour Union is not a laughing matter to be dismissed by wave of hand. It increasingly appears either realistic or may need to be more.
“Which way, Nigeria? I can only hum Sonny Okosun’s (1984 – Which Way Nigeria) and Majek Fashek’s (Send Down the Rain!) songs as I silently pray for reprieve and an urgent economic solution so Nigerians can breathe well.”
