When Things Were Cheaper, I was Poorer

By Petra Akinti Onyegbule

In 2011, my husband and I used to attend a Living Faith cell fellowship down the road from where we lived on Lingu Crescent, Wuse 2.

One day, we went as usual, and the cell leader quoted something Bishop David Oyedepo had said: whatever the prices of goods, we should always pray for provision and never complain. So long as God provides, even if a tin of milk costs one thousand naira, we will be able to afford it and live a good life.

That message did not sit well with me.

You have to understand my background. I am Catholic, and my first work experience was in social development at the highest administrative level of the Catholic Church in Nigeria. Christians, I believed, were supposed to advocate for the weak and vulnerable. How dare we simply pray for provision regardless of the state of the economy when, with the enormous platform of the Living Faith Church, the Bishop could be calling on the government to do the right thing?

I wish that message had triggered an immediate mindset shift in me!

It took more than a decade, but I finally understood it. The value of money is ultimately determined by the quality of life it can provide. Years ago, when things were cheaper, there was still so much I could not afford. That also meant there were many times I could not support people who needed my help.

So, whenever I hear the argument that “₦50,000 could do XYZ years ago,” I respond in one of two ways: Did you have the ₦50,000 then? Or, have you not accomplished A to Z today, despite the higher cost, when you could not afford to do those things back then? If you can now afford the life you once could not, what does it matter how much it costs?

My worldview changed when I finally understood that message. Where people see problems, I see the same problems and then some. But I also ask: Where is the opportunity to solve this problem and make money? Who do I need? What value can I create? What is the best approach?

Yes, I pray, but I also work hard to ensure that even if petrol costs ₦2,000 per litre, I will always be able to afford it. With that mindset, I live my life and support those I have a responsibility to support in bigger and better ways than ever before.

After the 2023 elections, I ended a post with this affirmation: “Ma a ri BATiSHE. I would be fine.” That statement got many people riled up, even though it was my personal confession and propeller. I do not work for the government and, at the risk of bursting your bubble, I do not earn money for supporting PBAT. But the conviction that, no matter what the economy is saying, I will thrive is what drives me every morning I wake up. It also drove some people up the wall. I wonder why.

People are making money legitimately in Nigeria, even in this economy. How are they doing it? What opportunities are they seeing? What problems are they solving? What are they doing differently?

Government has a responsibility to manage the economy properly, create opportunities and protect the vulnerable. Citizens also have every right to demand accountability. But outrage is not an economic strategy, and endless vituperation will not improve your life. At some point, you must stop merely complaining about the situation and start behaving differently.

The poor will always be among us. That is not an excuse for government to abandon them, but neither should we sit around waiting for a socialist government to subsidise every aspect of life. Wake up. Shift your mindset. Develop capacity. Create value. Change your life, and then lift the poor around you, one person at a time.

And if this message incenses you, do not worry. You may get it one day. I was once incensed by the same message, but eventually, I got it.

May you too.