Mama Nnamdi and the fuel subsidy

Let me tell you a story. Somewhere, behind where l live is a slum, getting to the slum are untarred and treacherous roads which houses what we call "face me l face you"  houses: these are one bedroom apartments where conveniences such as the bathroom, kitchen etc are shared. This is where Sister Esther (Mama Nnamdi) lives with her 3 children and unemployed husband. Sister Esther works for a neighbor of mine as a housekeeper cum Nanny. She has to get to work by 5.30am, to help get her Madam's children get ready for school. She is one of a lucky few who have managed to secure employment not too far from the house, hence transportation costs for her is not so high. Still, she pays a handsome 30% of her salary on transport, her salary is N12, 000.00 per month (approximately $50), she would have preferred to walk, but her health will not allow. Living is a nightmare, she earns so little, her husband is out of work, her children are going to State owned schools but she can't afford to buy all the school books they need, they can barely speak and write good English like her Madam's Children and she does not blame them because their teachers speak the same type of English. Her children barely have enough to eat, her husband has been looking for work for years without much success, sometimes he finds menial jobs to do here and there but nothing that lasts for long. She also fears for her job, Madam has been good to her but recently when she went to ask Madam for a raise, Madam told her about the job cuts in her office and how she also feared for her job, apparently this is not the best time to ask for a raise. She has lately resulted to fasting and praying. Esther believes it is only God that can help. Her rent will be due soon but she does not have enough saved up to pay. Baba Nnamdi informed her this morning that a job vacancy has opened up in South East Nigeria, if he gets the job he will have to move but apparently they can't all go with him since they won't be paying enough to accommodate a family transfer. This means further hardship, no help with the children and she will be  living like a single parent, praying that her marriage will survive the onslaught of separation. This morning, they woke up to the worst flood ever, the house was flooded, it had also brought along with it stench and debris from the Canal. They were all smelling, their meager goods were spoiled, life basically seemed hopeless. Last week, Esther had been informed by Baba Nnamdi that the government was going to increase the price of fuel, she doesn't know how much she will now be paying for transport. She does not know how they are all going to manage, there have already been two suicides, people she knew. One of them she saw the week she was told he had taken his life. She now felt so sorry she had not bothered to ask how he was doing, but her burdens barely enables her to reach out to others. They also have little to eat, Baba Nnamdi explained to her that food prices will also go up, everything will cost more. Brother Kola who moved away from the house last year, told her that they had been living under the bridge, she met him in Church recently, he said he came to pray for his son whom he believes had joined a gang of armed robbers. Life was tough. She looked for a good story from her life to tell and found none. The only thing she knows is that she has to go back to Madam to ask for help again, she is ready to put in extra hours if need be. So this morning she prayed for favor with Madam and also gave Madam's name to the Pastor, that they may pray that God will help her keep her job. If this fuel increase comes, Esther believes that the Government will be cursed because of lives that will be lost and the hardship they will have to bare. She wonders when all this oppression will stop, she wonders when the rich will begin to care, she wonders when her suffering will end. Oluwasoromidayo "Masses theory"