Concept Note: Yesterday’s Price Is Not Today’s Price

Introduction

The phrase “yesterday’s price is not today’s price” has become a cultural mantra in Nigeria, encapsulating the evolving cost of living and the economic realities faced by everyday Nigerians. This project seeks to explore how the prices of essential goods and services—such as food, rent, fuel, and transportation—have changed over the past two to three decades. By tapping into the vast archival resources of Nigerian newspapers and digital platforms, the research team at Archivi.ng  aims to craft an engaging and visually compelling narrative that sheds light on these shifts. We also hope to foster public awareness, encourage reflection on economic policies, and spark meaningful conversations about Nigeria’s economic journey.

Relevance and Objectives

This project holds significant relevance as it bridges the gap between archival research and economic literacy, connecting historical data to present-day realities. By spotlighting price trends over decades, the initiative highlights the impact of inflation, policy shifts, and other economic forces on everyday life. It also underscores the value of archives in offering insights into Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape.

1. Document Price Evolution: Collect historical data and newspaper clippings to track the prices of key staples (e.g., food, rent, transportation, and utilities) over time.
2. Create Public Engagement: Develop accessible and engaging digital content such as interactive blog posts, quizzes, and social media visuals to share findings.
3. Foster Economic Reflection: Use relatable price changes as an entry point to encourage discussions on inflation, subsidy removal, currency devaluation, and other economic shifts.
4. Showcase Archival Value: Demonstrate the importance of archival research in uncovering stories and patterns relevant to everyday Nigerians.

Implementation plan and Timeline (2–3 Months)

Month 1:

• Team briefing and concept finalization.
  • Align project goals, roles, and deliverables.
• Data collection from newspapers and archives.
  • Conduct a systematic search of Nigerian newspapers (print and digital) and other public archives for clippings, articles, and advertisements highlighting prices of essential items from the 1990s to the present. Focus on recurring items such as: Food staples: Rice, beans, garri, bread, cooking oil; Utilities: Rent (urban and rural), electricity bills; Transport fares: Public transport (buses, motorcycles, etc.) and intercity travel; Fuel: Petrol, kerosene, and cooking gas; other Out of pocket (OOP) daily expenses: Pure water, bottle water
  • Identify key moments of economic change (e.g., periods of subsidy removal, currency devaluation) and collect related commentary or reporting.
• Preliminary database creation.
  • Organize collected data into a structured format for analysis.

Month 2:

• Analysis and synthesis of collected data.
  • Create a comparative database of prices across decades, categorized by region, time period, and item. Highlight major trends and anomalies, such as price spikes or periods of relative stability.
• Drafting of Research Report
  • Craft compelling narratives around the collected data. Examples of scenario-based sections include:
    • “The Cost of Breakfast: 1995 vs. 2025”
    • “How Rent in Lagos Changed Over 30 Years”
    • “Fuel Prices and the Nigerian Economy”
• Creation of visual materials (e.g., infographics).
  • Use visuals such as infographics, charts, and before-and-after comparisons to make the content relatable and easy to understand.

Month 3:

• Publication
  • Release Research Report alongside an executive summary summarizing key findings
  • Include an interactive quiz on the landing page of the research report (See two examples below)