The familiar aroma of smoky jollof rice and freshly prepared pepper soup continues to fill Nigeria’s busy commercial streets, but the meals served at roadside canteens are becoming smaller and more expensive as rising costs squeeze vendors and their customers.
Across major cities, food sellers are reducing portions while increasing prices to keep their businesses running.
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The changes have drawn complaints from artisans and other low-income workers who depend on affordable meals during the working day.
For decades, informal food businesses, popularly known as bukas or mama put, have provided relatively affordable meals for workers seeking filling food without the cost of restaurant dining.
However, rising ingredient prices, transportation expenses and other operating costs are putting that role under pressure.
The removal of fuel subsidies and the depreciation of the naira have also contributed to the wider cost pressures affecting businesses and households.
Emmanuel Osarumwense, a structural technician, said the amount of food he could buy with his money had declined significantly.
“Before, N1,000 food from Mama Rukayat would fill my stomach completely,” he said, gesturing towards his plate.
“Now, I spend N1,500 and I leave the table still feeling hungry.
“I have to drink two sachets of water right after eating just to feel heavy. It is survival eating.
“We are no longer eating to enjoy; we are eating so we don’t collapse.”
Sunday Agbonkhese, a bricklayer, also described how the rising cost of food had changed his daily spending.
He said bread and ewa agoyin, a popular bean dish, previously cost about ₦700 and provided a filling meal.
Now, he said, that amount was no longer enough to buy the same combination.
According to Agbonkhese, he may need as much as ₦3,000 to buy bread and beans in quantities sufficient to satisfy his hunger.
He added that he had reduced the number of meals he ate each day to save part of his limited earnings.
For food vendors, increasing prices enough to cover expenses risks driving away customers who are already struggling financially.
Kudirat Adeyemi, who has operated a food canteen for more than 12 years, said a serving of rice with a piece of beef that cost ₦800 about a year ago would now require a price of around ₦2,000 to maintain the same quantity.
She said many of her regular customers, including commercial motorcycle riders and traders, could not afford that price.
“If I increase the price to what it actually costs to cook this food, nobody will buy,” Adeyemi said.
“So, I had to change the strategy. The price is now ₦1,200, but the portion is nearly half of what it used to be.”
She added that the meat portions had become smaller and the rice was no longer served in the same quantities.
Although customers had complained, Adeyemi said she had little choice if she wanted to remain in business.
She also reported a decline in sales, saying she now cooked almost 5kg of rice compared with the 25kg she previously prepared.
“The market is hot,” she said.
The shrinking portions reflect the pressure on household budgets as consumers try to stretch limited incomes across food, transport and other essential expenses.
For many workers, buying meals during the working day has become a budgeting challenge.
Some are reducing the amount they eat, while others are cutting back on the number of meals they buy.
The cost of ingredients remains a major concern for vendors.
Rice, cooking gas, tomatoes, onions and vegetable oil are among the inputs that can significantly affect the cost of preparing meals.
Musa Ibrahim, a food truck owner, said fluctuating market prices made it difficult to maintain consistent portions and prices.
“Every morning at the market, the prices of ingredients change.
A basket of pepper that was ₦25,000 last week can increase to ₦35,000 next week,” he said.
“If the quantity of food on the plate is not reduced, food vendors will be cooking at a loss and we won’t have money to buy ingredients tomorrow.”
He added that vendors were attempting to match what they served to what customers could afford, even when that meant providing considerably smaller meals.
The pressure is affecting both sides of the informal food trade.
Customers are paying more for less, while vendors are trying to cover expenses without pricing their regular patrons out of the market.
Some food sellers have reportedly shut down because they lack sufficient capital to replenish their ingredients.
Others have resorted to portion control as a way of keeping their businesses afloat.
Without sustained improvements in food production, transportation, security and the broader cost of doing business, roadside vendors and their customers may continue to face difficult choices.
For Nigeria’s workers, the smaller portions served at food stalls are more than a business adjustment.
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They are a visible reminder of the growing challenge of securing affordable, filling meals on limited incomes.
Peculiar Adirika is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
