Economic woes crushing homes

In the late 70s, I was privileged to study life and living conditions first hand in the United Kingdom. I worked with Nigerian students who came to England when the socialists were in power. Some of them became indigent students and had to combine work with their studies. Some had no work; they collected social security for themselves and their children and were accommodated in council flats.

One perspective worthy of note today is the passivity of the elite in their comfort zone. A second perspective is the docility of the poor masses in their abject condition. The Nigerian democracy effectively does nothing for the ordinary, poor Nigerians. It yields no dividends to them whatsoever. A third perspective is President Buhari’s unity proclamation which does not appear consistent with the policies he pursues. Worst still, his policy of censorship does not encourage people to criticise whatever they disagree with. This is a critical moment in Nigeria’s history.

A fourth perspective is focusing our attention now on fundamental questions of ideology and of theory and practice of our development. Gone are the days when the self-seeking politicians put the peoples’ head under their armpit and lead them by the noose to the polling booths with their toxic tokenism and empty promises.

I am reporting the realities on ground today about life in poor homes. For example, take a home with four children attending a relatively cheap private school. The eldest of the children is a gifted boy in JSS 3 at age 10. The breadwinner is jobless; the mother of the children is a fruit seller; domestic violence breaks out when the breadwinner is no more winning any bread for the family. The case is now with the welfare people in Ikorodu who transferred it to the police to sort out the violence aspect. The point I am making is that lack of ideology in the system is wrecking the polity: poor homes are falling apart because our politicians have failed the nation. The parties still handle matters the same old ways; what we see going on are party-controlled rituals. Nothing has changed. Anyone claiming credit for improvement in the system without a corresponding improvement in living conditions for the poor in the majority is not sincere at all. Majority are suffering silently. It is corruption and privileges all the way. What is the way forward? Restructure Nigeria now and let’s sort things out afresh.

John R. Jimoh,

Ijebu-Ode.

 

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