Recession: How To Survive In A Nigerian Campus At A Time Like This

I have spent all of my previous semesters
as a student of Obafemi Awolowo
University living on campus, and
witnessing both the awesomeness and
horrors of students living in the famous
halls of residence.

Life’s pretty harsh
around here, I’ve seen people go an
entire day on an empty stomach, whilst
still chasing multiple lectures in multiple
locations, and after it all, they return to
their rooms to soak Gari in the murky
“Omole water” (named after the
erstwhile Vice-Chancellor), and paltry
peanuts and sugar. Pile all that on top of
the misery of the current economic
recession and growing inflation,
resources dry up fast, and students end
up drained, emaciated, in poor
psychological state, overall in very bad
shape. It’s a hard life. But you should
learn to afford yourself as much comfort
as possible.

1- Manage your resources

All fingers are not equal. This saying is
too popular to be forgotten, and yet
many students have no value for it other
than to recall it sometimes when they it
helps them little. There’s always a lot you
want, but there’s only a portion of it that
you NEED. You need to use a scale of
preference in every situation. Your
friends and neighbours may be wearing
cool shirts and nice shoes to every class,
looking fresh and expensive. But that’s
what you see, what you cannot
immediately notice is the difference
between what resources they have and
what you have, and even what they
themselves are going through beneath
those cool faces.

So you have #3000, what are your needs?
First, write down everything you wish
you had at the moment, now pick out the
ones that you cannot do without. You’re
running low on foodstuffs, and it may be
a while till you get any more money. But
you also want this really cool shoes, so
ask yourself which one you cannot live
without.

Also, do you know that those snacks and
meals at canteens are sapping more of
your resources than you can imagine? If
you buy one “Gala” sausage roll for #50
and the plastic bottled 7up for #100,
you’ve spent #150, and of that five
hundred naira in your hand you have
#350 left. It still feels like a lot, till you
buy #100 recharge card, Sugar and
peanuts for #50, and then you have #200
left. You photocopy someone’s notebook
for #40, bought banana chips for #50
amidst lectures, and a sachet of pure
water for #10. And now you have #100
left, in just half a day.
What could you have done, you could
have bought vegetable for #100, cow skin
(Ponmo) for #120, and #20 locust beans.
Then you could have used the little palm
oil left to cook it with some powdered
pepper, and you have something to eat
with for 3 days! You eat “Eba” or Rice
with it, you’ll be fine, with about #260
left. You’ll eat before going to class and
you won’t need the junk food!
Manage your resources well.

2- Don’t suffer in silence

When you’re low on cash, or you’re
down on foodstuffs, don’t hesitate to tell
someone about it. Your Parents, your
relatives, your friends… If you’re not
frivolous with your spending don’t be
shy to ask when you’re in need. Don’t
just surmise that the economy is bad,
look for those who can help you, and tell
them about it. Suffering in silence is the
worst thing that can happen to a student,
just tell someone about it, someone who
can help you.

3 – Don’t overdo anything

Don’t overspend, over-buy, overtly stress
yourself, or trouble yourself with
needless burdens. Don’t buy 3 things of
which you need one. You probably do
not need another pair of jeans. And you
probably do not need an extra pair of
shoes, and you probably shouldn’t get it.
Don’t go out of your own way to buy a
girl/guy anything! Your girlfriend or
your boyfriend is not your wife/
husband! And that girl who’s your crush
is not going to fall in love with you
because you bought her #1000 recharge
card, in fact, she may be using your
attraction to her as an advantage. Be
wise.
And have fun. Carefully

Source: Campus Punch

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