As the new semester began, Goodness Aderoba, a 300-level Agriculture student, felt a wave of optimism wash over him. With his set academic goals and a sense of purpose, he walked into the school mini-mart eager to buy the handouts he needed to pass his course. The smell of freshly printed pages filled the air, fueling his excitement as he envisioned a productive semester ahead.
But sadly, the excitement was short-lived. When the vendor casually mentioned the prices—N700, N1000 per handout, Goodness’ heart sank. The numbers echoed in his mind as his enthusiasm faded into frustration. “This is what we bought at the rate of N150, N200 last session. How could something as essential as study materials come at such a steep cost?,” he asked rhetorically.
With a tight budget barely enough to cover daily expenses, Goodness realized he couldn’t afford it. Defeated, he left the mini-mart empty-handed, wondering how he would make it through the semester.
Later that evening, as Goodness sat in his room contemplating how to navigate the semester without the necessary materials, a notification buzzed on his phone. His WhatsApp group had new messages. Curiously, he opened the chat and saw that the soft copies of the handouts had been shared by his Class Representative. Relief! Without hesitation, he downloaded the files.
“Grateful for this digital life line. Though the feel of crisp paper and the act of underlining sentences in hard copies had always been my preferred way of studying, the soaring prices left me with little choice. For now, the soft copies are my only path forward,” he said as his face beamed joy.
Since the removal of fuel subsidies in May 2023, prices of daily necessities have continued to surge. Making it unbearable for people to afford their basic needs. This has greatly affected students, making it impossible to afford reading materials among others, which are indispensable in a student’s academic success.
Like Goodness, many students are also finding themselves in the same situation, caught between their desire for academic success and the harsh realities of rising costs.
Abdurrahim Ibrahim, a third-year student of Agriculture, shares a similar frustration.
“I’ve always preferred reading from hard copies, it helps me to focus and retain information better.” But with handout prices climbing beyond his reach, Abdurrahim has reluctantly turned to soft copies, despite feeling that his comprehension suffers as a result. “It’s not the same but what choice do I have? The prices are just too much to handle.”
Cybercafé Owner Reaction
Ezechuku Emeka, popularly known as Bishop, the owner of Bishop Son Business Centre, situated at the school mini-mart, permanent site, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), said that the main problem facing their business is the issue of skyrocketed prices of fuel and the consumables that they are using.
“The prices are much higher than before. Before, we used to buy a paper ream at N7000 to N8000 naira, but now we’re buying it at N22000 naira. The consumables, particularly the toner, we used to buy at the price of N6000, N7000, and N8000; today, it is N18000 naira,” he explained.
“Fuel was N150 before the removal of fuel subsidy, but now we are buying it at N1000. These are the challenges we’re facing. That’s why we have no choice but to increase the price to sustain our business.” he added as he bemoaned how the low turnouts affects his businesses. “Most of the students have now resorted to using PDFs. The country is just too hard; students are now buying garri (cassava flakes) instead of food because the foodstuffs are costly as well,” he concluded.
Expert Review
Dr. A.M Kabir, PhD, Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, UDUS, said the dramatic surge in Inflation and Exchange Rate are the key factors driving the country into the condition being faced today.
“Inflation results from too much money circulation in the system. During President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, a large amount of money was printed. When there is a lot of money in the hands of people, they will be willing to buy more, but most of what they want to buy is in low supply, thereby bringing about a price increment.
“The removal of fuel subsidies has its impact but inflation is the root cause. The exchange rate, before this government came into power, was about N460.72, but now it is about N1600,” he explained.
Dr Kabir said that the issue of handout prices is something that has to do with prices generally. The way forward is to either reduce high money circulation in the system, even though the new minimum wage is only going to add fuel to the fire, or significantly increase production in the country. “We are importing quite many things, and almost all of what we’re importing has tripled in price.”
“I believe that if one has a smartphone, he can manage the soft copies. We are in a digital age. And you can also color the key points in the soft copies,” he advised.