Nigeria as a nation has many stories and histories to tell and share with generations yet unborn. It is a mixed memory of the good, the bad and ugly. There are many lessons to learn from our history, either to propel us as a nation towards the path of prosperity, progress and development or that of poverty, stagnation and retrogression.
Our stories as the so called giant of Africa and most populous black nation in the world is not a pleasant tale to tell as it is filled with regret, pains, disappointment and shame with little successes recorded and development to be proud of.
We are quick to point to unity as one significant evidence of our progress as a nation. One begins to wonder what is the need for unity without peace? We claim to be united as a country with over 250 diverse languages, yet the citizens of the nation are crying daily as they continue to lose loved ones, friends, family members, neighbours, colleagues, course mate, associates across the 36 States of the Federation.
The nation is drowning in sorrow, tears and blood as insecurity has become the order of the day in Nigeria. As one leaves his or her house daily, one is not sure of returning home alive as we have become prey in our own country. The government has failed in its primary responsibility of protecting lives and property.
Kidnapping, ritual killings, banditry, terrorism, murders, assassinations, robberies, internet frauds and a whole lot of negative activities have put the lives of an average Nigerian at risk as we sleep with our two eyes open due to leadership failure. They can no longer protect us leaving us to our fate as the masses has become prey in the hands of evil men.
The citizens are filled with sorrow as the land is soaked with tears and blood. The shed blood demand justice and vengeance, yet our leaders are less concerned about our plight as citizens and a nation. They are rather focused on creating a false narrative of our fragile unity as a nation.
Our leaders claimed that unity in diversity is one major success story of Nigeria since its independence from the British rule in 1960. Do we call this unity when there are killings all across the land unchecked? Personnel of various security agencies who are to protect and defend the citizens are themselves being killed daily; this is a sorry tale about my beloved country.
The nation has lost more of its citizens since the transition from military to civilian rule in 1999 till date compared to the civil war which lasted three years (1967 to 1970) in Nigeria.They died through various violent attacks which include the attacks from Boko Haram, Bandits, ISWAP, Fulani Herdsmen, kidnappers, Assassins, Ritualists, Poverty, Corruption, diseases and the likes; Nigeria is slipping into a jungle and lawless country.
As a nation, we have not made any significant progress or development since the return to democracy in 1999. Our leaders claim to have the interest of the people at heart but they are responsible for the starvation, poverty, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, high level mismanagement of the resources of the nation, and they have misruled the people for the better part of our existence as a nation. They have put Nigeria in total retrogression.
The nation is battling with huge challenges in all spheres of the economy, yet, our leaders have turned blind eyes, and deaf ears to these issues and challenges that are threatening to break the fragile unity of Nigeria.
Nigeria has become a banana republic where anything can happen. Justice is for the rich and the highest bider. Security, education, and other good things of life are mainly for the upper class citizens while nothing is left for the average Nigerians and the poor citizens to enjoy.
Inflation is biting hard, naira is depreciating daily and loosing its value, corruption is ravaging the entire sector of the economy, poverty and starvation the order of the day. Killings, kidnapping, rituals, murderers, assassins and unknown gunmen are operating freely across the nation and working on creating a parallel government and if not checked Nigeria will soon cease to exist, yet we claim to have leaders.
Education has been grounded since February 14, 2022 as Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) and the Federal Government are in a needless battle for supremacy while the students and their parents bear the brunt. The future of Nigerian youth has been paused by leaders who pay lip service to the saying, “Youths are the leaders of tomorrow.”
Nigerians feel the rail system is better for safe trip but that has not proved true as safety is not guaranteed. The Kaduna-Abuja rail incidents where terrorist attacked and killed nine persons, kidnapped hundreds of others, remain fresh in our minds as the victims remain in captivity while their abductors smile to the bank with millions of naira paid as ransom.
These criminals still operate with phones and have bank accounts from where they cash some ransom paid by victims families to rescue their kidnapped family members as the government has become helpless and hapless.
One begins to wonder why the need for sim card registration and compulsory Bank Verification Number (BVN). Nigerians wasted several man hours and went through he’ll to get captured yet the data have not been used to curb crime. Some school of thought has posited that the BVN and Sim registration are scam schemes and sources for looting the nation’s treasury as corruption appears to be the only thing the leaders are specialised on.
As 2023 General Election closes in on us, it’s about time for the Nigerian people to react and protest this bad governance through the effective use of their Permanent Voters Card (PVC). The poverty in the land should be an eye opener to the youths of this nation. Since politicians have shown that they care less about the youths and more about themselves and their own families, they should be taught a bitter lesson. Their attitude and leadership style show they are not ready to solve the many challenges and problem facing the nation and its people.
Media report by experts predict that the Nigeria’s economy and governance will suffer as politicians prepare for the 2023 election. The prediction is beginning to manifest. The All Progressive Congress (APC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) garnered estimated N43.9b from forms sold to aspirants contesting various political positions in the forthcoming 2023 general election.
The nation is bleeding and politicians are using millions of naira to purchase forms, using millions to buy supporters as praise singers to and fro the venue where these forms were purchased. Both the ruling party and the opposition do not care about the plight of the people.
The former Ministers of Labour and that of education under whose watch our schools have been shut down for seven months also used millions to purchase forms to become president of the country. If they could not solve ASUU’s problem how can they solve the many challenges facing Nigeria. Thank God they both lost in their various bid to get their parties ticket to run for president come February 2023.
Just imagine the impact if the efforts and millions spent on form purchase was channelled to developing the economy, the nation would have made reasonable progress and the situation would certainly not be this bad.
According to the report, it is estimated that the ruling party, APC allegedly earned nothing less than N32.1 billion from sales of nomination forms to aspirants across all offices, from Presidential, Senate, House of Representatives, Governorship to State Houses of Assembly.
While the forms sold for N100 million for presidential, governorship went for N50 million, Senate for N20 million, N10 million for House of Representatives and N2 million for States House of Assemblies.
Report had it that more than 27 presidential aspirants picked the form for the APC, totaling over N2.7 billion, at least three or more aspirants across the 36 states (108 aspirants) picked forms for governorship, totaling N5.4 billion and also three or more picked their forms for 109 Senate seats (327) standing at N6.5 billion.
For the House of Representatives, which has 360 slots, three, or more aspirants picked their forms (1,280) per Federal Constituency, bringing the earning to N12 billion and in the Houses of Assembly where there are 990 seats, three or more also picked their forms totaling 2,970 bringing the earnings to N6 billion. The ruling party is therefore projected to have raise N32.1 billion.
The major opposition party, PDP, is estimated to have raise nothing less than N11.8 billion with N680 million raised from presidential aspirants. At least, N2.2 billion is raised from governorship forms, N1.1 billion from Senatorial aspirants, N3.2 billion from House of Representatives aspirants and N4.5 billion from House of Assembly aspirants. These are projected to bring total earnings of PDP to N11.9 billion.
These estimated amount is anything but accurate if we go by what transpired at the various party primaries in Abuja where the highest bidder got the parties ticket for 2023 presidential election. Virtually, all delegates were bought; they all sold their votes to produce their party’s flag bearers. Some delegates returned from Abuja and began to buy land and build houses with the proceeds from the party primaries in Abuja. Some even bought new cars, the primaries was a money spinning venture for them.
Nigerians are faced with daily challenges as a result of mismanagement caused by our so called leaders. Rather than investing in ensuring the challenges are brought to an end in order to make life better for its citizens, our leaders are investing in their political career.
Nigerians woke up to the news on Monday, May 16, 2022, that the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)over alleged money laundering and diversion of public funds to the tune of N80 billion. Why did EFCC turn a blind eye at the party primaries in Abuja where dollars were given to delegates? Where did these people get their money from?
Where is the integrity of the government preaching against corruption? Much of that public funds would have settled the educational crisis embarked upon since February 2022 and would have put an end to the yearly ASUU/ASUP Strike action. For so long, ASUU/ASUP strike had been ongoing and the Federal Government has not been showing concern through the Minister of Education and Labour, and these ministers are less concerned about what happens to workers under the university or polytechnic system or the students.
The leadership of National Association of Nigeria Students, (NANS) Zone D, in conjunction with National Association of University students (NAUS) declared a massive protest to shut down all international airports in Nigeria.
The Unions told the Federal Government through a press statement that all activities at international airports shall be shut down by over 22 million Nigerian students across South-West Nigeria until ASUU/ASUP strike was called off.
The news became a threat to them as air is their only means of transportation. Immediately they heard the news they have called an emergency meetings with security agencies to protect the various Airports across the country, using security to stop the protest. They acted fast because it will affect them directly. If their children attends schools in Nigeria, the ASUU strike would have been over.
The various religious killing across the country, from North to South, East to West shows the nation is sitting on a keg of gun powder ready to explode if nothing is done to checkmate it. This shows that the nation and its people lack religious tolerance, patience and yet claim to be united despite our cultural and religious diversity. It is a matter of time, this nation might no longer exist if our leaders continue to act nonchalantly about its future.
Are we truly safe as a people? Do we have a government? Do we have leaders? Do we have a country? Do we even have youths to step into leadership positions tomorrow? Is this a united country? Why this insecurity, killing, bad leadership? Can we come out of this? It is another election season; choosing credible leaders to steer the ship of the state should be upper most in our heart as we work hard to rescue Nigeria and change the status quo.
