5 Survival Tips For Nigerians Living In Nigeria This Year

Living in Nigeria these days is like an unwanted subscription to economy hardship and tears. It’s no news that the country is upside down financially and we’re all going through very trying times. Every day we go to the market and even retail stores in our neighborhoods, only to walk away shaking our heads. Some food items are now triple the price they were last year and the question on everyone’s mind remains, “Until when?”

On February 26, 2024, the Nigeria Customs Service had to suspend its food disposal initiative because of the stampede that claimed the lives of seven Nigerians on Friday, February 23, 2024. Imagine living in a nation where seven people died because they were trying to buy rice at a discounted price. Disheartening, isn’t it? However, instead of all this mountain of problems to be tackled, the President of Nigeria decided that changing the National anthem of Nigeria was the most pressing issue.

Well, we can’t say for sure when everything will go back to normal, but we can take care of ourselves and survive this horrible phase first. In this article, I’ll be dropping 5 survival tips for Nigerians living here in Nigeria.

Do well to read. And live!

5 Survival Tips For Nigerians Living In Nigeria

In January 2024, Nigeria experienced a surge in its annual inflation rate, reaching 29.90 percent, up from 28.92 percent in December 2023, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The NBS also highlighted that food inflation accelerated to 35.41 percent in January 2024 on a year-on-year basis, marking an increase of 11.10 percentage points compared to January 2023, when it stood at 24.32 percent. This uptick in food inflation underscores the growing pressure on food prices within the Nigerian economy.

So, what do you do to survive?

1. Check Your Blood Pressure Regularly

So many Nigerians are walking about without knowing that they are ticking time bombs. There are so many stories of people walking on the road and they simply slumped and died. One of the causes of such cases is failure to do regular check-ups like checking your blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

This year, a lot may be happening around you but make sure you’re monitoring your blood pressure and drinking lots of water.

2. Eat Healthy, Not Expensive

Now, you might be asking yourself, “What is this one saying? Which one is eat healthy, not expensive? Is there any food that isn’t expensive?”

Calm down first. Don’t break my head.

As I said, during this period, eat healthy, not expensive. For every nutritional value you desire to acquire from each meal, there are budget-friendly variations that will give you what you desire without breaking the bank.

For example, you might want to opt for eggs if you cannot afford chicken. Yes, eggs are also very expensive right now but even if you ate three eggs, you’d still spend less than buying a quarter of a kilo of chicken (which is only 250g).

So, be wise. Go for healthy, not expensive.

3. Budget Wisely

I don’t think anyone still needs someone to beg them to budget wisely this period. Except your father is a politician or a business tycoon, you should know that this is a period to sort out your needs, not your wants.

Except it’s very important and can’t be postponed, stick strictly to the things you need. Now isn’t the time to be buying pizza and cold stone ice cream on a whim. Again, unless you’re Otedola’s daughter or son, then by all means, flex.

Am I saying you should suffer? No.

Do what makes you happy but make sure you’re doing it on a budget. After spending all your money doing “we outside”, no one will follow you back to your house to drink garri with you.

Spend wisely!

4. Buy Things Now. Save later!

Yes, you read it well the first time. Buy things now and save later.

Every day, the prices of things keep increasing more than the previous day. If you priced something last week, chances are it has already increased by over two thousand naira only a week later (and this is me being generous with the numbers.) And the scary part is that the prices of things may never go back to the way they were last year.

I recently watched a tiktok video where a Nigerian was lamenting about how he didn’t buy the TV he wanted to get last year and how the TV was now more than double the price less than six months later.

So, if there’s anything you need and you have the money to get it, get it NOW. Don’t procrastinate because as a Nigerian living in Nigeria, you should know that once the price of something goes up, it seldom comes down. The Nigerian economy never respects the law of gravity. So, just buy it now. You can save after getting all your needs.

5. Sleep Well

If you’re not sleeping well with all the chaos that is going on in the country, you’re only setting yourself up for more suffering. Sleep well so you can be healthy and have the strength to survive the challenges that may come your way this year.

Remember, it’s only those who are alive that can survive this failing Nigerian economy. So, take care of your health by exercising healthy sleeping habits.

The Bottom Line

Nobody has it all figured out and everyone is going through it at the moment but if you can exercise these 5 survival tips, you’re sure to tough it out till the storm is over.

Good luck!

All images are sourced from google