•Ejiro Emmanuel
On a hot Sunday morning in Warri, while others were in church or resting at home, 26-year-old Ejiro Emmanuel sat patiently in front of a locked shop at Igbudu Market. The gates were shut, the market, unusually, quiet, yet Ejiro, a single mother from Udu Local Government Area, called out softly to passers-by, hoping someone would stop to get their hair plaited.
For three years, Ejiro has been plying her trade as a hairdresser. But in today’s Nigeria, survival is no longer simply about skill – it has become a battle against distance, rising costs, and deepening poverty, reports Saturday Tribune.
“Transport fare from Jeremy, where I live, to the market is killing,” she said.
“I try to come every Sunday because I don’t want to lose customers. But sometimes when they call me and I’m still on my way, they go to someone else.”
Ejiro’s story is one of determination, but hers is not the only tale echoing through the streets of Igbudu and beyond. Across Nigeria, more and more young people are being driven into desperate acts – not out of choice, but out of need.
“The price of everything is rising too fast,” Ejiro exclaimed.
“What you buy for ₦1,000 this week could be ₦2,000 next week. And when things are this bad, people are pushed into doing things they normally wouldn’t.”
According to her, many who once aspired to honest work now find themselves with no options. Some turn to petty theft. Others, especially young girls, are lured into sex work as a means of survival.
“I know girls who are doing that,” she said quietly.
“But I made a choice. I believe in hard work, even though it’s not easy. I would rather struggle than sell my body.”
Before the current administration took office, Ejiro said things were hard, but manageable. Braids then cost between ₦3,000 and ₦5,000. Today, the same service goes for from ₦5,000 to ₦10,000 – not because she wants to exploit her customers, but because the cost of living has skyrocketed.
“It’s not just hair attachments that have gone up. Even food, transport, rent – everything is double. Customers pay the new prices because they understand what is happening. We are all feeling it.”
Ejiro’s biggest wish is simple: to get a shop closer to her home in Jeremy.
“If I can get that, I won’t lose customers because of distance or suffer daily transport costs.”
But as she fights to stay afloat, others are not so fortunate. Across the country, reports of petty theft, burglary, and even kidnapping are on the rise – symptoms of a nation in distress. And while many condemn these acts, people like Ejiro understand why they are happening.
“There are people who want to learn a trade or start a business but they have nothing. I paid ₦30,000 to learn hairdressing a few years ago, but now, it’s at least ₦100,000. Where will someone, who is struggling to eat, find that kind of money?”
She adds, “The government needs to do more. If they can’t bring prices down, they should, at least, create jobs. People are hungry, and that hunger is turning into crime.
“Before Tinubu regime, people didn’t pay much for hair because things were cheap then. Then, customers paid N3000 to N5000 for braids. But now, with how everything has gone up in price, the least amount I collect for braids is N5000 to 10,000. “Because when charging, I do it in a way that I will be able to meet up the price of other things in the market. Customers pay without arguing because they know the situation of things in the country.
“The rate at which things are climbing up in prices is alarming. You will go to the market today, get something for N1000, the following week, you are getting it for N2000.
“If the government can’t reduce the prices of things, they should create more jobs for people so that they will have money to afford necessities. Also, Tinubu should bring back the fuel subsidy because it seems that is the foundation of the problem.
“Crimes, such as stealing and kidnapping, are getting worse everyday because of the hardship in the country. There are people that really want to work or start a business but they don’t have the money to do so and that is one of the major reasons why young girls are going into prostitution. Now, you will ask me why I chose to work and not prostitute and I will tell you that when I was doing the sales girl work, things were not this hard and before I got my salary by the end of the month, my mother was feeding me.
“I was not paying house rent but there are some people that don’t have the luxury of that. They pay their rent and feed themselves so how much will they get to pay those bills and then save to learn a skill? Then, I paid N30,000 to learn this skill but now, the least you can pay is N100,000 to learn the same skill.
“The government should no longer turn a blind eye. They should provide solutions.”
Her voice trembles slightly, but her resolve is clear: “We are not all thieves. Some of us just want to survive with dignity.”
