Nigeria, where travelling by air or road is becoming impossible

MANY decades after the famous Irish poet now of the blessed memory, William Butler Yeats wrote his popular piece ‘The Second Coming’ in 1919, during the aftermath of the First World War, the description portrayed in the masterpiece which though happened in Ireland the home country of the late poet, can best describe what is happening in Nigeria today.

The poem remains evergreen with reference to its popular passage: “Turning and turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer, things fall apart, the centre cannot hold, mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”

‘The Second Coming’ can be described as a haunting depiction of a societal collapse and impending doom, capturing the state of hopelessness and pains Nigerians are passing through presently.

While all these pains are avoidable, the recklessness of the so called leaders have negatively impacted majority of Nigerians with over 80 percent of the population exposed to unimaginable hardships.

The only few class not experiencing these pains are those in the political class and their families who are not up to 10 percent.

It is no longer hidden that in Nigeria today, many people are like walking corpses who cannot boast of one meal per day or take care of their immediate needs such as paying medical bills, paying rents and affording transport fares.

With insecurity on the bad roads and even the few that have taken solace in air transport when it becomes very necessary to embark on such trips, this only alternative means of transport which only a few could afford is gradually becoming almost impossible due to the spiraling effects of the mismanagement of the country’s commonwealth by the few people in the top echelon of the leadership on ordinary Nigerians that are in the majority.

While travelling by road has become a ‘no go’ area for many Nigerians because of the danger of being kidnapped for ransom or killed by bandits, it has now become almost impossible to travel by air as ticket prices have doubled or even quadrupled.

Prior to now, a one-hour flight ticket which could be obtained for between N40,000 and N65,000 depending on the booking period have now Skyrocketed to between N110,000 and N200,000.

Contrary to the notion that the airlines just chose to hike their fares for no reason, the notion is far from the being the truth as the operators, like other Nigerians, are going through the same tough experience.

Nowadays, the airlines still in existence are doing so under a very bad economic situation made worsen by lack of forex, expensive aviation fuel, multiple taxation, unfriendly policies of government, lack of maintenance facilities and many other  reasons.

While all these factors are critical to why fares are high presently, there seems to be no hope in sight for the situation to abate.

While the travelling public who still go by air are doing so under a very tough situation, even the airlines are operating under a tougher predicament owing to the failure of government to show the required capacity that will make the environment more conducive for business.

The looming danger in the midst of the disaster brought upon the land by the few elected leaders and their cronies may soon snowball into anarchy if nothing is urgently done.

In a situation where people are hungry and cannot travel by road or air, the W.B Yeats poem may become a reality in Nigeria  years after the death of the poet.

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