RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL AND WORKERS’ QUALITY OF LIFE, PHYSICAL CAPACITY, PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING, INDEPENDENCE AND SOCIAL RELATION IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined “Relationship between Fuel Subsidy Removal and Workers’ Quality of Life, Physical Capacity, Psychological Functioning, Independence and Social Relation in Delta State, Nigeria’’. The objectives of the study were: To examine the relationship between fuel subsidy removal policy on workers’ quality of life in Delta State, Nigeria; to find out the relationship between fuel subsidy removal policy and workers’ physical capacity in Delta State, Nigeria; to examine the relationship between fuel-subsidy removal policy and workers’ psychological functioning in Delta State, Nigeria; to examine the relationship between fuel-subsidy removal policy and workers’ independence in Delta State, Nigeria; and to examine the relationship between fuel-subsidy removal policy and workers’ social relation in Delta State, Nigeria. The study was anchored on rational choice theory. The study adopted correlational design. The participants for this study consisted of 135 workers in Delta State Nigeria.  The participants were both public and private workers. The sample size was randomly sampled using the cluster and incidental sampling techniques. The instruments for data collection were Fuel Subsidy Removal Impact Questionnaire by Nwankwo (2026) and Quality of Life Inventory by Nwankwo (2026). Data from the field were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation with SPSS version 26. Findings showed that fuel subsidy removal (p<0.01, r = 0.458, n = 135) significantly correlated below average with workers’ quality of life in Delta State, Nigerian; fuel subsidy removal significantly correlated below average with “physical capacity” (p<0.01, r = 0.436, n = 135), “psychological functioning” (p<0.01, r = 0. 352, n = 135), “independence” (p<0.01, r = 0.418, n = 135), and “social relation” (p<0.01, r = 0.363, n = 135). One major implication of the findings of this study is that corruption tendency is likely to be the Nigerian workers’ responsive pattern to the effects of fuel subsidy removal. Consequently, value systems, work ethics, and dignified principles of life could be degraded. Recommendation is that there is the need for the establishment of social welfare services scheme to cushion the hardship of fuel subsidy removal. The scheme should be very functional, as well as devoid of corrupt and fraudulent practices. At an individual level, there is need for workers to adopt disciplined personality by living within the means of their income. As contributions to knowledge, the study and its findings have shown that it could be possible that many mental health challenges among Nigerian workers could be issues arising from the adversities of the fuel subsidy removal. In Nigeria, workers are pushing themselves to the extreme in order to live. Hence quality of life could be redefined for workers as coping mechanism.