Beauty entrepreneur and influencer, Laura Ikeji Kanu, has sparked conversations online after calling out what she described as excessive greed among service providers in Nigeria, particularly during the festive ‘Detty December’ season.
In a video shared online, Laura expressed frustration over the sharp increase in prices for everyday services, using hair braiding as a key example.
According to her, a hairstyle she previously paid ₦70,000 for before leaving Nigeria is now being quoted at ₦200,000, with suggestions that clients should be charged as much as ₦250,000 simply because it is December.
Describing the situation as unreasonable, Laura warned that such unchecked price hikes could ultimately ruin the festive season.
She noted that while December is typically a period of high sales for businesses, exploiting customers under the guise of seasonal demand is unfair and damaging.
Laura also addressed the common assumption that Nigerians living abroad are wealthy and can afford inflated prices.
She emphasized that many diaspora Nigerians are regular people who work hard, save up, and return home during the holidays to enjoy themselves, not to be exploited.
According to her, the trend of inflating prices for services rendered to returnees has been ongoing and is increasingly getting out of hand.
She argued that even the former ₦70,000 charge for hair braiding was already high, questioning the justification for nearly tripling the price within a short period.
Beyond the beauty industry, Laura extended her criticism to the housing sector, blaming the rise of short-term rentals such as Airbnb for contributing to increased rent across the country.
She alleged that landlords, seeing the high daily rates charged for short-let apartments, have transferred that mindset to annual rent pricing, further burdening residents.
Reiterating her stance, Laura maintained that greed remains a major issue affecting various sectors in the country.
She urged business owners and service providers to exercise restraint, fairness, and consideration, warning that continuous exploitation could discourage visitors and harm the very economy they seek to benefit from during the festive season.
Watch the video below,
