{"id":1992,"date":"2026-07-17T22:59:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T21:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1992"},"modified":"2026-07-18T07:48:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T06:48:59","slug":"when-%e2%82%a610000-is-no-longer-enough-how-delsu-students-are-surviving-abrakas-rising-cost-of-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1992","title":{"rendered":"When \u20a610,000 Is No Longer Enough: How DELSU Students Are Surviving Abraka’s Rising Cost of Living"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Faith Omafuakpore<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For students who rely on monthly allowances from parents and guardians, budgeting has become less about saving and more about survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On paper, \u20a610,000 may still seem like a reasonable amount of money. In reality, however, it disappears almost as quickly as it arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many students of Delta State University (DELSU), \u20a610,000 was once enough to comfortably cover several days\u2014or even a week\u2014of living expenses in Abraka. In 2026, that same amount barely stretches as far as it once did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With rising food prices, increasing transportation costs, soaring accommodation fees, and the general increase in the cost of living, students are constantly forced to make difficult financial decisions. The question is no longer how to spend money wisely, but how to make limited funds last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across Abraka, inflation has transformed student life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meals that sold for between \u20a6500 and \u20a6700 just a year ago now cost between \u20a61,200 and \u20a62,000, depending on the location, portion size, and type of meal. Everyday essentials\u2014from toiletries to cooking ingredients\u2014have also become significantly more expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When people hear \u20a610,000, they think it’s a lot,” says Edith, a second-year Anatomy student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But after buying food and data, you hardly have anything left.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experience reflects the reality of many DELSU students whose allowances can no longer keep pace with rising prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite its reduced value, \u20a610,000 can still meet some basic student needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can provide approximately five to seven modest meals at student-friendly restaurants, provided no extra drinks or side dishes are added. For students who cook, the amount can purchase basic groceries such as rice, noodles, eggs, bread, sachet water, vegetables, and cooking ingredients that may last several days if carefully managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The money may also cover transportation between off-campus residences and lecture halls for a few days, internet subscriptions for academic work, photocopying lecture materials, and other minor academic expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For students who budget carefully, every naira must serve a purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The limitations become painfully obvious when larger expenses arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accommodation remains one of the greatest financial burdens. Rent in many parts of Abraka has increased dramatically, with some single rooms now costing well above \u20a6150,000 per year. For many students, \u20a610,000 represents only a small fraction of what is needed to secure housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amount is also insufficient to make any meaningful contribution toward school fees, which vary across faculties and departments but generally amount to tens of thousands of naira each academic session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unexpected expenses\u2014including medical emergencies, textbooks, laboratory materials, departmental dues, project costs, and practical fees\u2014can consume far more than \u20a610,000 in a single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, what once seemed like a useful amount of money has become inadequate for meeting students’ growing financial needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of inflation extend far beyond students’ wallets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Financial pressure has changed the way many students live and study. Some now skip meals to save money, while others take on part-time jobs or run small businesses alongside their academic responsibilities. Many have reduced social activities, not by choice but by necessity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although these coping strategies help students survive, they often come at a cost. Balancing work with academic demands can reduce study time, increase fatigue, and negatively affect academic performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of many weeks, students find themselves borrowing money from friends or calling home for additional financial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I now write down every expense,” says Maureen, a final-year Mass Communication student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If I don’t plan my spending, the money is gone before I even realize it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experience illustrates how budgeting has become an essential survival skill rather than simply a financial habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faced with rising living costs, DELSU students have developed practical strategies to stretch every naira.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many now prepare their own meals instead of eating at restaurants, purchase food items in bulk, share accommodation with roommates, and maintain strict weekly budgets. Others walk considerable distances instead of paying for transportation, choosing to endure long treks in order to save money for more pressing needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within student hostels, conversations are increasingly centered on survival tips\u2014from identifying the most affordable food vendors to discovering where groceries can be bought at lower prices. Information about discounts and cheaper alternatives is exchanged almost as frequently as lecture notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These strategies may not eliminate the effects of inflation, but they demonstrate the resilience and resourcefulness of students determined to complete their education despite difficult economic conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For today’s DELSU student, \u20a610,000 can still provide meals, transportation, internet access, and a few essential daily necessities\u2014but only for a limited time. It falls far short of covering major expenses such as accommodation, tuition, textbooks, or emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the cost of living continues to rise, surviving in Abraka requires far more than money. It demands careful planning, financial discipline, resilience, and constant sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experiences of students reveal a broader concern about the affordability of higher education in Nigeria. When a significant portion of a student’s energy is devoted to worrying about the next meal, transportation fare, or rent payment, learning inevitably suffers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Abraka continues to evolve alongside Nigeria’s economic realities, one important question remains: How much more can students be expected to stretch before the struggle to survive begins to undermine the very education they came to pursue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Faith Omafuakpore For students who rely on monthly allowances from parents and guardians, budgeting has become less about saving and more about survival. On paper, \u20a610,000 may still seem like a reasonable amount of money. In reality, however, it disappears almost as quickly as it arrives. For many students of Delta State University (DELSU), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"iawp_total_views":38,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,15],"tags":[24,31,25,314],"class_list":["post-1992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trendingnews","category-viewspoint","tag-24","tag-abraka","tag-delsu","tag-inflation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1992"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2047,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1992\/revisions\/2047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}