NIGERIA is on the precipice. Everything seems to be working against the country. Its foundation is shaky. Things are falling apart. The centre can no longer hold. If the current situation of the country is anything to go by, it is safe to declare the nation as a failing nation. First, I would love to address many issues battling the nation. One of them is the obstruction of duty under the guise of getting citizens register for PVCs. Left to me, I don’t buy into this idea of declaring work-free days which ranges from two to three, even in some states, four days, for the registration and collection of the Permanent Voter’s Card, when we still wallow in the distressful events of banditry, terrorism, economic mishap and other vices happening throughout the country. The unfortunate event of ASUU strike is still there, which has linger for more than five months without the government offering lasting solutions to it. This has not spurred our state governors to launch any meaningful intervention, since education is on the concurrent legislative list. The nonchalance they pay towards the matter is palpable.
The incessant hikes in the prices of consumer goods, such as petrol, diesel, kerosene and gas prices is yet another issue which has not received enough attention from state governors. As of today, the exchange rate of the dollar to the Naira at the forex market is troubling. And this has negatively affected the purchasing power of the Naira. What seems to arouse the interest of the ruling class are the activities surrounding the 2023 elections. What a country we all found ourselves! The level of religious intolerance, which has claimed so many lives, is another challenge which has not gained the attention of these states actors. Our leaders turn a deafening ear to the atrocious events emanating from it. This, to them, has nothing to do with their interest, so far, it has not affected people who are so dear to them. In yet another news, some gunmen who are reported to be bandits-terrorists claimed three lives of the gallant officers from the Nigerian Army, who were ambushed along Bwari campus of the Nigerian Law School, after a distress call was placed to them on the suspicion of a planned attack on the campus. These gallant officers suffered woeful deaths in the hands of these dare-devil terrorists.
Having witnessed all these unfortunate events happening throughout the country, the only solidarity our dear governors could happily offer is in cornering opportunities for themselves and not the electorate on whose mandate they got to the coveted seats of power. It saddens me to even pen down this heartbreaking piece. For our NLC people, their own matter will be dealt with in another piece, as it took them donkey years to declare a solidarity protest in support of ASUU, who has since February been on strike. Our political institutions have failed us: there is no single system that works in today’s Nigeria. Where have we gotten it wrong? Is it from the old generations who do not want to leave the corridor of power? Or from the lazy youths who allow themselves to be used to unleash mayhem across the nation? If today is not about kidnappers; it would definitely be about Fulani herdsmen. The level of the insecurity around the country is another thing one cannot write home about. This has placed Nigeria on the red list on the International community as one of the most unsuitable places to live, to visit or even dream of having anything to do with. As we’re just in the second half of the year, the record has shown that, no fewer than a thousand souls have been lost due to the improper handling of the nation’s security architecture.
In the health sector, what we have there is a mishmash of dilapidated monuments, under-equipped medical facilities and ill-trained medical personnel. Owing to this, many souls have been lost to ineptitude; and many others are still bearing brunt of the failed system. Economically, the nation is unstable. Educationally, our country is unbalanced. Medically, our nation is unfit. The country is physically challenged in terms of security. Virtually everything has collapsed here. We are near becoming a failed state. In conclusion, the present state of our failing nation should be of great concern to all citizens. Nobody should try to play the blame-game. The dwindling state of governance cannot be said to be a present problem: that has been the order of events since return to democracy in 1999. The level of corrupt practices in the bureaucratic and political space is high. Flowing from the ongoing, it’s axiomatic to say that the crop of bad leaders in succession has greatly affected the success and progress of this country.
The upsurge in the prices of commodities, the high rate of kidnapping, the ongoing wanton killing of innocent people, among many other atrocious events, are disturbing. If care is not taken, the country may be plunged into serious crisis in years to come. I urge the government to, at least for once, do everything within its capacity to return sanity to the country.
- Ayomi is an M.A Student in the Department of History and International Studies; University of Ilorin.
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