Some Nigerian women, in separate interviews on Sunday in Lagos, narrated the huge economic challenges confronting them in sustaining homes.

Abiola Dipeolu, a mother of four, said the family currently spends a lot of money to keep the home running.

Mrs Dipeolu, who said she used to save some money from the monthly allowance she received from her husband, said the reverse was the case now, as feeding allowance hardly sustained the family for two weeks.

“Marriage is boring and uninteresting because the time for husband and wife to be together has been put into hustling,” she said.

A mother of three, Ronke Adu, said she could not remember when she last received financial support from her husband.

Ms Adu said the present economic challenges had rendered some husbands mere figureheads despite the energy they put in daily to make ends meet.

She noted that she had to do menial jobs like sweeping compounds, cooking soup for the elderly, and cleaning her home on a daily basis to make ends meet.

Expressing her views, Busayo Adamolekun, a mother of two, said she was a fashion designer by profession, but when reality dawned on her, she dropped her working tools and ventured into food selling.

Mrs Adamolekun said her husband had to join the food business and closed his business centre because he no longer received patronage.

China Okeke, a civil servant and a mother of three, said it was a pity the economy had turned this way.

“As a civil servant, I had to obtain loans to keep the home going,’’ she said.

She explained that the take-home pay was not enough.

A grandmother and pastor, Adefunke Clement, said many women came to the church for financial help.

Ms Clement said there was no day a woman would not come to the church soliciting for a meal.

She said that before now, the church used to have philanthropists who donated voluntarily, saying that now the authorities had to announce before getting a few donations.

“Women are going through a lot to put food on the table; some go into four or five menial works daily to keep the home going,’’ she said.

(NAN)