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Nigerian workers left with N6,000 for feeding as transport takes 79% of income, data show

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Nigerian workers are facing very difficult times as they spend about 79% of their monthly minimum wage (N30,000) on transportation.

This is according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) January report on transport fare analyzed by Ripples Nigeria.

NBS noted in the report that Nigerians in January paid N476.3 on an average per drop for bus journey within the city.

This is an increase of 1.18 percent when compared to the N470.83 in December 2021.

The amount paid in January 2022 is also a 35.28 percent rise from N352.15 paid in January last year.

What this means is that for a Nigerian who is on a minimum wage pay of N30,000, he or she will have to spend over 70 percent of their salary on transportation.

Nigeria has an average of 25 working days, if a per drop bus ride is N476.39, that is about N23,819 to get to work and back home in a month, leaving only N6,180 as take home pay.

Further analysis also showed the huge pressure on Nigerian workers’ finances.

NBS also reported that the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity stood at N2,801.36 in January 2022 indicating an increase of 0.59 per cent on month-on-month when compared to the value of N2,784.92 in December 2021.

When compared to January 2021, the fare also rose by 19.39 percent from N2,346.41.

Read also: RipplesMetrics: Salaries of Nigerian workers far less than other African countries

There is also no respite for Nigerians who move within the cities by water as fare was more expensive than the previous month.

NBS said that Nigerians who use the waterways paid an average of N888.24 in January 2022. This is about N22,206 monthly.

In December 2021 water fare was N881.48 and N786.19 in January 2021

This is even as a i r travel is completely beyond reach for an average Nigerian worker.

The report noted that the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey increased by 0.26 percent on month-on-month from N38,253.35 in December 2021 to N38,352.19 in January 2022.

While on year-on-year, the fare rose by 5.18 percent from N36,463.65 in January 2021 to N38,352.19 in January 2022.

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