It is true, there is no shame in seeking assistance during difficult times, reaching out to people when you are in need is not the problem but among the people you go to, who is ready to help?
Life is not easy if you can't find someone to lean on in a difficult time, people are suffering because they have no where to seek help from. Seeking a help from a government is not easy and it is not all NGO that can be trusted. If you go to a family or friends, their own story will be even more than that of you that want to seek help from them.
There was a time when I was really in need of help because their I was left with no money and at the same time I can't get work to do. I went to my uncle for help and he promised to help out and give me a day to come back. When the set day reached, I went to my uncle but he is not around, I called him but he didn't pick my calls and I left his house and I waited for his call the whole day but nothing comes so I tried the following day still the same. This went on and on for more than a week and when I see that he is not ready to help I left him alone and he never even bother to call me about the situation.
It might not happen to everybody but I vow not to seek for help from family members again since then, and even if I'm suffering, I prefer to be a maid than to be asking help from family.
There was a time like that when the Nigeria government saw how much people are suffering and started an empowerment program and a lot of people applied including me with the hope that it will ease our suffering and reduce the rate of unemployment. Many of us are shortlisted but not all of us are beneficiary.
Those that are choosing as beneficiaries are given a place to work and was promised a stipend of #30,000 every month and as at then, #30,000 can ease at least feeding fees but at the long run, it is not all the beneficiaries that the stipend reach. It have been paid by the federal government but never reach them, so it is easy to seek help from government but it is not easy to receive what they want to give because of the obstacles on the way.
Some week ago, I was sick and my husband was out of cash, I was unable to go to shop and I've spent all the money I have to buy drugs and on that very good morning we have the food we can cook, there is pepper I can use but there was no seasoning, no palm oil nor vegetable oil so I was stuck, I can manage myself if it was just me but my baby needs to eat too and I can't give him that kind of food because it's not healthy.
I picked my phone and I called my friend for help but she started her own story too telling me that she has not eating anything since last night and I ended the call straightaway. I pick my call again and called my junior sister to help me with some cash but she can only help with #1,000. Well it's better than nothing we used the money to eat that day but but you know #1,000 is nothing compared to the high cost of things in Nigeria now and we have to eat the following day and I have to find an alternative and what is the next to do is to take loan.
Many people resort to taking loan when they can't find alternative even though they know they might not be able to pay it back and mostly it on App loan, that is the situation our country push us to. I went to an app loan and request for loan, they gave me the loan but the interest is so high but what to do I have to take it to survive.
When facing with financial hardships and insufficient resources, asking a friend might not be the best solution because they may also be going through the same situation as you, most of my family are far from where I am and those that are close can not help and I don't go to them, seeking from government welfare is too far because there is no connection and same thing with NGOs for me. The only way I find easy is loan and my junior sister.
My junior sister is ready to help anytime any day if she have enough to give and the loan app too because they know what they will gain from it. Waiting for government intervention is like making yourself suffer more.
