Have you ever been in a situation where all your three dependants (two children and one niece) were driven back home because you were unable to pay their school fees and everyone in the neighbourhood started asking why they were at home when they were supposed to be in school? Or in a situation where your wife threatened you with a divorce suit because of your inability to provide for the family? Or when you heard the persistent hunger cry of your baby and you were (too) penniless to do something to calm her nerves?
It was one Nobel Prize winning economist who said: “There is nothing in the world that is so heartbreaking as the condition where you do not have your own money to spend”.
Yes, the fine culture and kindness of a man is lost in extreme poverty. It is the point where a man is unable to perceive the repeated sermons on morality, law and order. At this stage, a man prefers dying to living. Although the condition of many Nigerians is not as critical as this, there are too many of us that are very hungry today.
General poverty is partly caused by poor salaries. High purchasing power has a chain reaction or multiplier effect on the economy. Given the large number of dependents on the breadwinner, the fat salary of one worker can produce huge positive effects on the life of many persons. Good salary is therefore an important issue.
Despite the promised adjustment of the minimum wage from N30,000.00 to N70,000.00 it is still too small for an average household of five persons (consisting of two parents, two children and a niece). Minimum wage is the “lowest rate of pay that an employer can legally pay his worker”. That is, by law, an employer, especially the government, cannot pay below the minimum wage. It is the product of negotiation by the trade unions and the governments.
Noodles are one of the cheapest food items in Nigeria. It is available everywhere. But are they within the means of most Nigerians? I don’t think so. Nevertheless, I am going to attempt calculating what it may take to feed an average person using what I call “the indomie index”. Using this model, it is assumed that a person can survive on six packs of the smallest sized indomie. That is, two packs are consumed for breakfast, two packs for lunch and two packs for supper everyday. The total quantity in a month of 30 days is 6×30 equals 180 packs a month. Since the prevailing market price of one pack is N250.00, the monetary value for 180 packs is N45,000.00 (180×250).
For a household of five persons this amounts to N225,000.00 (45,000 × 5). It should be noted that this computation does not include spendings on the following: security bills; water bills; electricity bills; sanitation bills; personal income tax; house rent; children’s school fees; household health care; household clothing; washing soaps and toilet tissues.
The household living on N70,000 or N225,0000 a month cannot access the good things of life. They can neither eat well nor enjoy quality health care. They have very limited access to information. In most cases, they are unable to educate their children in good schools and adequate housing is far from them.
If you are an average Nigerian worker and your wife is still with you, count yourself very lucky. She has been the person helping to close up the vacuum of insufficiency (N225000 – N30000 = N195,000 or N225000 – N70000 = N155,000.00) that the minimum wage has exposed you. An industrious woman like this deserves all your respect, praises and loving kindness. Without her umbrella, you are reduced to an “infidel” who is unable to provide for his household; an object of ridicule and mockery in the neighbourhood. You must not toy with her.
In as much as the FGN is appreciated for raising the minimum wage, it must be said loudly that N70,000.00 is not enough. The workers expect a further raise of the wage to meet at least the indomie standard in the near future.
Ade-Edogun, a columnist/educator, writes from Benin City
