The Nigerian economy is rapidly declining and thanks to inflation the cost of living is increasing on a daily basis.
The average Nigerian Bachelor has to worry about the cost of housing, feeding, electricity, commuting to and fro, clothing and taking care of his family.
By my calculations (using the bachelors around me as a sample ) the average bachelor spends around 50 thousand Naira A month on rent if he chooses a modest housing area, 40 thousand Naira a month on feeding if he can cook basic meals, 25 thousand Naira a month on electricity if work keeps him away from home this reducing the electricity he uses within the month, 25 thousand Naira for Internet, 30 thousand Naira on transportation if he is drives a car with an understanding fuel pump, 20 thousand Naira on leisure and frivolities assuming he is an introvert and even then this estimate shoots up considerably in December and on his birth-month, this brings us to a total estimate of one hundred and ninety thousand Naira a month.
I would like to point out that the minimum wage in Nigeria is thirty thousand Naira and most employers do their best to pay as little as possible above minimum wage knowing that their employees have no option than to accept the wage due to the scarcity of jobs.
This brings me to the heart of my discourse, relationships are very cost intensive engagements, Man is by nature a provider and in most relationships this role comes with very serious financial implications. For example using our hypothetical bachelor from our sample, once he undertakes a romantic engagement with a female he incurs the following basic budget increments:
70 % Increase in food budget
Increase in leisure and miscellaneous depending on the nature of his female counterpart.
Increase in electricity use and bill due to movie nights/Netflix and chill.
Increase in cost of commuting because when he cannot drive he will need to cover her Uber to and fro.
A monthly allowance that may be official or unofficial depending on the nature of the female.
And a special budget for the maintenance of her hair, nails and make up. This can take his monthly expenditure from a hundred a ninety thousand Naira monthly to anywhere between Three to four hundred thousand Naira a month.
When I first shared this hypothesis with a wealthy friend he claimed this challenges only affected “struggling men”, however upon reviewing the extra expenses incurred monthly due to his relationship he agreed that it was a significant increase on his initial operational cost as a single man.
It is impossible to put a price on companionship, love, early morning kisses, back rubs and coitus (if you do not subscribe to the unconventional ways of getting all the above) but given the state of the nation and the financial cost of dating, it has become imperative that we all examine the cost effectiveness of being single.
Thank you for reading and I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments.