Fuel Price Hike Taking Toll On Love

The recent increment in the price of fuel occasioned by the withdrawal of subsidy by the Federal Government is also taking its toll on the love life of Nigerians.

For many young people, their love lives are gradually hitting the rock due to high cost of transportation which makes it almost impossible for them to visit their partners as often as they would want.

Bilkisu Shehu, a resident of Gwagwalada, told THE WHISTLER that the fuel increment is affecting many relationships.

She said: “The fuel price is affecting people’s movement from one place to the other. Nobody is talking about visiting anyone these days not to talk about relationships. They will tell you everything is dry, they don’t have money to take care of themselves not to talk about maintaining a girlfriend. 

“So, guys don’t ask ladies out anymore. They are scared. They don’t have what it takes to sustain themselves, not to talk about adding a girlfriend’s responsibilities. So, many break ups nowadays.”

According to Shehu, some of the reasons guys restrain from engaging in relationships are that ladies may require refreshments on outings, request constant pocket money to maintain their looks aside feeding.

“It’s expensive, like two of what everybody was spending before. If a girl wants to come and visit you, on normal days you pay like N5000. Nowadays, that N5000 will not even bring her, not to talk of going back. So, no more visitation, the bonding reduces.

“About relatives, nobody visits relatives anymore. Phone calls! Just call each other that’s all. Assuming you are living in Gwagwalada and you have a family you want to visit in Gwarinpa, you know what you’ll spend is N3000. You’ll say it’s better to send that person that N3000 than the visitation because they also need the money,” she noted

Henriatta Joseph, a 25- year old lady who sells clothes at Wuse market also lamented that she is dying to see her boyfriend, but the cost of transportation has made it impossible.  

She said: “This fuel thing is affecting my relationship. I’m supposed to see my boyfriend since last week, but because of fuel issue, the bolt to book and go see him is close to N6000 something, and before it was like N5000. 

“I’m visiting him from Nyanya and he is living at airport road. I have to pay N16,000 just go and see him. Ah, so, what if I have other needs, how is he supposed to cope? You understand what I mean?” 

Joseph noted that despite the fact that the bonding between her and her lover is being affected, she also lacked the guts to tell him to send money to her for her needs or to come visiting,  looking at the amount involved.

“Me too I’m feeling the whole thing for him. I can’t even complain even if he is not taking care of my needs because things are not easy anymore. 

“I have to request for money from him to go to work. So, I can’t even tell him I want to come and see him, because he is already transporting me to work,” she said.  

When approached by THE WHISTLER, Gabriel Takai lamented that he is competing with another man over his girlfriend and have to find ways of keeping her, but it’s almost impossible now. 

He said: “My girlfriend is befriending someone else. The competition is high and I’m trying my best to attend to her needs amidst this hardship. I show her that I still like her by trying to visit her, but with this increment in the cost of transportation, I only visit her once a month. The last time I visited her was last month. 

“She stays at Mararaba, but I stay in Gwarinpa. I spend N600 just to go and see her, excluding okada fare and returning fee. As for her maintenance money, I try my best to send the little I have, and she understands with me.”

Rehab Barthelome, a civil servant, also complained about her relationship. She said: “Ah, the fuel increment is affecting my relationship oo! My boyfriend will be complaining about cost of transportation. He no longer lives here, he is in Kaduna, before he visited me the last time, ah, it was an issue, he was complaining.”

According to Barthelome, the last time she set eyes on her boyfriend was last month, adding that: ” I don’t get money from him again as before. Times are hard, but he is still doing his best to send the little he has.”

Abdullahi Ibrahim, a business owner at Gwarinpa, Abuja, who spoke in Hausa, said: “Before this increment, business was booming well for me. I earned well and was able to assist my parents back home. But with this increment, it’s not possible anymore. We voted for Tinubu but we don’t know why he will do this to us.

“Even our love lives with so many girls have to be terminated completely. No one is talking about love affair again. Before, I used to be in relationships with girls, but have stopped now. The money to buy recharge card and call them is not forthcoming. To find food and eat is what concerns me now. 

“Currently, there’s a lady I want to marry, she is there in our village in Katsina, but because I do not have money to marry her, I had to ditch her. There was no need keeping her around and wasting her time when I have no money to marry her.”

According to Ibrahim, before the break up, the lady was disturbing him to send his people to come formerly and ask for her hand in marriage. 

“But I told her I had no money to buy those things needed for the introduction. Even when I visited her last, I spent N20,000 to and fro. It was N10,000 going and same amount coming back. And when I went, I had to give her N20,000,” he complained.