January 13, 2012 by Sodiq Oyeleke
A roasted plantain vendor at Ojodu-Berger, Lagos, Mrs. Onyemechi Ojukwu, on Wednesday urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to disappoint the masses who voted for him during the presidential election.
Ojukwu, who lamented the effect of the strike on her, said she could hardly survive without selling being a daily income earner.
She expressed surprise that the President stood his ground despite pleas from people that the removal of the subsidy would further impoverish the masses.
“We all voted him in, and now that he is there, he is doing what does not favour us. We are begging him but he still refuses to heed our pleas. He should know that when we beg God he answers and listens,” Ojukwu said.
The vendor explained that since plantains were perishable, they could become rotten and keep her out of business.
“Although protesters are fighting for us with the strike, they have to understand that there would be no one to compensate me if my goods go bad. I will be the one to bear the burden, as you know plantain could easily get spoilt,” Ojukwu said.
She said if she did not sell, there would be no way she could feed her children and make ends meet as the prices of essential commodities had increased.
Ojukwu said, “I am a widow and I have two children in the university. I cannot leave my work because I have to provide for them. I have been a widow for 15 years and I feed about nine children a day, including my grandchildren who have lost their parents. This is the only means I have to raise them.
“I used to make between N7,000 to N8,000 a day, but now I make less than N3,000, which cannot really take care of my needs. The price of everything has increased.”
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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