Dr Kunle Ojeleye

Before now, the Covid-19 pandemic impacted economies across the globe. The global manufacturing supply chain was disrupted. A very good example is the automobile industry, where you may have to wait for more than a year for the delivery of some vehicles while prices have increased by an average of $15K.

As of today, there are some items you would not find on supermarket shelves in the large quantity they used to be prior to Covid-19.

In the meantime, wages have not increased, and the cost of living has tripled. I went into the shop yesterday and paid almost three times for the same items.

Amidst all the above, US President Donald Trump has decided to engage in a trade war with real and imaginary countries.

What that means in reality for many of us, especially in the diaspora, is that:

1. Many of us will be using our current smartphone for the next few years, especially those who are fanatical about the iPhone and Samsung. That $2K iPhone of yours may soon cost three times more.

You have been struggling with your payment arrangement over 24 months for the one in your hand. How will you afford a new one? Maybe the new Nokia 3310 is a lifesaver if you desperately need a new handset. It is not smart, but you can make a call with it.

2. You will need to keep that car running for as many years as possible. The era of changing a car every three years is likely gone for many. Even used and high-mileage cars are becoming expensive.

You had better not care about what people think of you using a ten-year-old vehicle. Na dem they pay your bills? What matters now is getting from Point A to B.

In essence, the next few years demand realistic economic and financial adjustments for survival. We must find a delicate balance between our income and expenditure.

Frivolities would have to be jettisoned to keep our heads above the stormwater. Of necessity would be the need to acquire diverse skills to ensure one’s basic needs can be met through meaningful and sustainable income generation.

If you ask for an urgent 2K and receive not a kobo from those in the diaspora, life under Trump has happened to everyone beyond the shores of the United States.

If you are already in your 50s, think countless times before embarking on a reckless knocking of enticing and active doors. You may not survive the ensuing costly demands of Daddy Day Care.

May we survive and succeed.

*Dr ‘Kunle Ojeleye is an author and a scholar.