The day I learned my civil service pension is not enough for bread

My daughter, the one who is a lawyer, she came to visit last weekend. She brought her children and we were all sitting on the veranda. I was telling them about how in my time, a deputy director could feed a family of eight on one salary and still save for Christmas.

My grandson, he is 16 and very sharp, he looked at me and said, Grandpa, how much was your salary then? I told him. He took out his phone and started calculating. He said, Grandpa, that is about N45,000 in today's money. I laughed. I said, my son, you are right. But in 1985, N45,000 could buy a car. Now it cannot buy a tyre.

My pension comes every month. I thank God. But I look at these young people hawking pure water on the road, the ones selling recharge cards under the sun, and I wonder. We told them education was the key. But the lock changed. The Nigeria I grew up in, a WAEC certificate could get you a job. Now a master's degree cannot get you an interview. I am not saying this to discourage anybody. I am saying, we must be methodical. Plan small small. Do not wait for government. The government is waiting for God too. Bi oba ti ri ni mo ti n ri. But I worry for my grandchildren. Who will tell them the truth?