Malam Abdullahi H. Hamza, a civil servant in Bauchi State is one of the millions of Nigerians who felt the agony of the removal of oil subsidy which compelled them to untold hardship.
Hamza, a father of eight had to resort to local mining which many identified as illegal mining. This was done after his return from his official work, “Sufferings in the last four months was unprecedented,” he said.
He bemoaned the hike in the prices of foodstuffs and other materials, “Foodstuffs, transport, farm machinery, and other means of livelihood were not exempted from the additives of live difficulties.
“I have one wife and eight children. We normally leave the house in the wee hours trekking for at least three kilometres before reaching the mining site, mostly with empty stomachs.”
WikkiTimes understood that Hamza and several other locals, prepare from streamside mud, and extract the mined sand locally called Monazite.
Hamza’s mined Monazite
He said in the last four months, “especially after the removal of oil subsidy and when the foodstuffs skyrocketed, life became so brutal. Most families suffered as a result of the policy, but the pain of the less privileged ones was beyond imagination,” he told WikkiTimes.
He recalled that “Last August when we were on holiday, I was completely stripped of any kind of foodstuff despite several having dependents. As the breadwinner of my family, l had to intensify my struggle,” he recounted.
As a junior staff, Hamza said his little salary could not cater for his family for a week, “so I have to go the extra mile in finding other means of survival.
He however got the support of his spouse “Without the support of my wife, the situation would have been worse, but to God Almighty be the glory I narrowly escaped being totally stranded.
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Hamza is not the only civil servant in the state who resorted to other means of income, including what he called local mining, “I saw a lot of civil servants some whom I know before and others unknown to me.”
He added that scores of civil servants especially those who receive lower salaries have engaged in the mining business as well as other businesses in order to survive and mitigate the impact of the removal of the fuel subsidy.
WikkiTimes recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, shortly after taking an oath of office.
The policy had however led to a sharp increase in the prices of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which instantly affected the prices of other materials.
