As transport fares soar, driven by rising petrol prices amid poor pay, worsening hardship and deepening poverty, many Nigerian workers are sacrificing sleep to cut costs—turning their offices into makeshift homes where they now spend Monday to Friday nights before reuniting with their families on weekends.
But behind this cost-saving measure lies a hidden health toll, as these workers face increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease as a result of chronic sleep deprivation. IDOWU ABDULLAHI reports
while most residents of Lagos Island were just beginning to stir from sleep at about 5:30 a.m., 28-year-old bank worker, Samson Adeyemi was already in the restroom of his office building, hurriedly brushing his teeth before colleagues arrived.
For nearly eight months, the customer service officer had turned a small corner of his office into a makeshift bedroom.
Unable to cope with the rising cost of transportation and accommodation in Nigeria’s commercial capital, he spends most weeknights in the office.
