NIGERIA’S FUEL ECONOMY

 IFEANYICHUKWU AFUBA describes how people get by in face of rising costs

Dele Giwa was partially right. It was either October or November 1983. A Nigeria Airways Fokker 27 jet had crashed at Emene, Enugu, killing about 25 people. Air crashes were rare in the country at the time as well as such scale of fatalities. Two or three days later, Dele Giwa’s column in National Concord screamed with the headline: “Nigerians are Unshockable!” The piece centred on how quickly people had returned to their usual routines, following an incident of such proportion. Sometime in 1981, Governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo, when asked how he was coping with the attacks on his government by the NPN had responded: “I’m a shock absorber.” Can we say the same of Nigerians with regard to the present economic pain?

The removal of fuel subsidy last year and attendant massive devaluation of the naira left Nigerians groaning. Only about one percent of Nigerians could be said not to have hurt deeply from the dislocations of these times. I guess nobody saw this level of hardship coming.

Few decades back we virtually swore it cannot happen here. How could that be? How can people survive such hyper inflation? Terrible. God forbid. That was Nigerians shuddering at the Ghana of 1980s. By the close of the 1990s, the hurricane crashed into Zimbabwe. Folks in the southern African country carried basketful of Zimbabwean dollar to buy just two loaves of bread. It was hard for Nigerians to comprehend.

Today, Nigerians are no longer pondering the nature of national currency collapse, they are learning to bear it’s crushing reality. They have gone through the initial rounds of alarm; sweating in cold weather; suffering migraine from long thinking. Operating family budgets with diminished income against ever rising cost of goods was comparable to the futility of James Hadley Chase’s Make the Corpse Walk. Many laid awake for long hours at night moping at the ceiling. Someone said he observed queues at some pharmacies for sleeping tablets!

Now, Nigerians are beginning to reassert themselves. The situation has turned from whining to braving the odds, approaching that calmness that late Dele Giwa characterised as unshockable. It’s a spirit that says no,  we will not die before we die. When there wasn’t rice in these shores, our ancestors did not die of hunger. In the words of  television dramatist, Zebrudaya, we have seen ninety nine; who _are_ hundred?

And suddenly, Nigerians behind the steering wheel, generally known for their speeding and impatience with slow – moving traffic, are turning out converts to cool and safe driving. The obsession with faster driving, endless overtaking and pleasure of being in motion seems to be on the decline. A change of attitude? Well, elementary physics teaches that speeding increases fuel consumption, but the catch phrase now is fuel economy. So, if you’re currently observing less of screeching tyres and more disciplined driving, it’s thanks to the outrageous pump price of petrol. Commercial as well as private drivers are now remembering to turn off the ignition as they descend slopes on roads. 

When last were you bombarded with the roaring of generators at every neighbourhood, at every compound, every flat? It must be a while. The numbers, regularity and duration of power generators has drastically come down. The show of “I pass my neighbour” is about to disappear. Those miniature, loudspeaker plants that used to dot one – room apartments, have lost their usefulness, and now much of liability to their once proud owners. With the cacophony and smoke from generators significantly reduced,  there’s both good and bad news following. Reduced absence of noise and air pollution translates to better environment, healthier living. But a plunge in the sale and maintenances of power generators means bad times for operators in the sub sector! Talk of the coffin maker’s prayer for good business season!

As if the unaffordable price of petrol was not enough burden to bear, scandalous electricity tariffs add another dimension to daily struggles. To survive, families, businesses, institutions are all introducing rationing to use of electricity. At one of the orthodox churches, a young man had barely placed his fingers on the organ to give verve to the service when word got to him that the pastor in charge ordered a halt. The instrument would not be played because it gulps electrical current! 

In some homes, ironing of clothes is now once a week. Gadgets, including essentials such as fridge, have to be switched off after some hours. Staircase bulbs have been taken out altogether in many places. Compulsory, early bedtime is becoming the vogue to ensure that lights are switched off. However, early retirement is coming with implications. The unintended effect is increased activities in the other room (apologies to Buhari). It should not be amiss to project rise in next population figures from this originally intended cost – saving measure.

Meanwhile, the younger generations are keeping away from marriage. In my Parish in Awka, we used to have on the average one Church wedding every Saturday. In recent times, four months have gone by without any wedlock. Can we blame the youths for their indisposition? The current marriage drought means that those desperately looking for free food and drinks have fewer opportunities. To further complicate matters, young people daring enough to get married are devising other survivalist approaches. Just the other day, someone posted in our alumni WhatsApp an outstanding wedding invitation taking place  in a Church in Enugu. The invitation card clearly stated “No Reception”! Can you beat that!

That leaves funerals as about the only other respite from hunger. Mourners are easy to come by today. It does not matter if the dead was perceived as a villain while he or she lived. Good numbers are guaranteed to turn up. To ensure that the severe austerity times do not impinge negatively on their funeral celebration, some associations, societies and clubs have started self – sponsored funeral policy. By this scheme, members deposit a given sum that will be used to give a deceased member befitting rites. This is considered an insurance against the inability cum unwillingness of survivors to meet the group’s standards.

The hard times have dealt hard blows to “night crawling.” Late night husbands are now forced to get home much earlier. Long drinking sessions at pubs is on the decline. Beer parlours have lost their numbers and with it, the animated discussions that earned them the tag, people’s parliament. And as the working class as well as the middle class beat their retreat from social relaxation spots, the business owners lament. For their part, the hitherto lonely wives at home are celebrating the return of marital companionship. This country, my brother….

Afuba is director, Public Administration Circle Awka