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One habit I indulge in regularly, which I imbibed from my late father, is listening to the transistor radio, specifically, to listen and feel the pulse of each caller on the phone-in radio programmes.
Interestingly, my attention is usually drawn to their emotional pendulum as it swings from low tune to infuriating level and you notice that the presenter would either stop them with a note of warning or yank them off the phone line.
I have two of such transistor radio sets not only because of news, but to feel the pains of the listeners as they express their grievances over national and state issues, on politics, security, economy and during newspaper reviews. Many other ardent listeners like me listen either because of music or other programmes.
I observed that during phone-in programnes, callers often find it difficult to hold their emotions and disgust but would vent their feelings on politics, security and the excruciating economy. Their lamentation became very obvious as the former President Muhammadu Buhari was exiting office. Every caller on the over 20 radio stations located in Abuja and neighbouring states would lament about the uncontrolled high cost of living and foodstuffs in the market. They would lament about the daily rising cost of fuel, kerosine and cooking gas. They would lament the uncontrolled rising cost of transportation by road and air. They would lament about the high rent for shops and residential flats across the country. They would lament over the nonchalant attitude of the government over their situations. They would lament about sachet water, which used to be N5 during Buhari’s administration, but today costs N20, same with minerals that used to cost N70, today at N250. They wonder if the government has resigned its constitutional duty and abandoned them to their fate. Each time issues on the economy and security are on the front burner of discussion, both the listeners and callers are on edge as they angrily vent their anger from bottled-up, emotion-laddened hearts. These are noticeable when people are discussing on the road, in the office, in the market and in homes. The expression on the people’s countenances speaks loudly about the stress of lamentation in their lives.
Also, lamentation can be heard from the offices in companies, organizations and institutions where workers are laid off due to high production cost or lack of needed facilities. Like many would say, “Life is very difficult.” Truly, life is very difficult to live in the country. It’s extremely difficult to live in the villages, and unbearable in the villages and more difficult in the townships and cities. According to economist, “Inflation is a rise in prices, which can be translated as the decline of purchasing power over time.” Painfully, the inflation rate record for Nigeria that was recently released stated that, “The average 12-month annual inflation rate was 20.35 per cent for the 12 months ending November 2023; this was 4.66 per cent points higher than the 15.69 per cent recorded in November 2022.” It is now clearer why insecurity like Nigerian anopheles mosquito has defied every security strategy in combating terrorists operating in the country as well as kidnappers and local gangsters operating across the southeastern belt of the country.
It is said that a stubborn sickness needs a different medication. Tongues are already wagging over the pitiful state of the nation as multinationals are packing and leaving the country in their dozens, so are eminent citizens like former INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo pointing to a failed country. A country passing through what Nigerians are presently experiencing usually witness corrupt practices, heinous criminality, robbery and sharp financial practices. With a few more days to the yuletide (Christmas), it is being speculated that crime rate may soar higher than previous years. Reasons proffered include high unemployment in the country, which has soured into several millions. According to record from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria has unemployment rates of 5.3 percent (Q4 2022) and 4.1 percent (Q1 2023), based on the new Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS), 20th October, 2023.
Part of the problem includes the astronomical increase of cost of foodstuff, due to the activities of bandits and Boko Haram terrorists who have been terrorizing farmers and carting away their farm produce. Also affected is transportation and every other thing that is useful to people. In fact the voices of lamentation can be heard from every street, house and compound across the country. Unfortunately, it seems the government is oblivious of the lamentation in the land.
When situations are getting to where the people resort to calling on God for intervention, such precarious situation often attracts various types of crimes like robbery, kidnapping for ransom and other vices. As I write this column, news had it that bandits stormed villages in Zamfara. Also, armed hoodlums struck in Imo and Niger states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, where residents are no longer sleeping with both eyes closed. The question on many lips, why does this season always bring high spates of insecurity, high cost of transportation and foodstuffs around the country? It is believed that the lnspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, may have envisaged these traces of insecurity when he told members of the National Assembly that his dream was to have a full police force that would be positioned to fight criminals and criminalities in the country’s diverse communities.
He added that the police, under his leadership, were determined to change the narrative for good. He further observed some challenges within the force, including poor logistics provision, insufficient patrol vehicles for police divisions, inadequate training, and poor welfare of personnel.
Despite Egbetokun’s assurances, security observers would be quick to remind Nigerians that since the leadership of IGP Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, 2016-2019, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, 2019-2021, and IGP Usman Alkali Baba, 2021-2023, the statistics of internal security had taken a nosedive. It is assumed that Egbetokun may revisit the original police drawing board and re-enact the Bola Ahmed Tinubu security policy strategy as Lagos State governor, which stopped the activities of notorious armed robbers that were more vicious than todays Bandits and gave Lagosians a sound night’s sleep throughout his second term as governor. Egbetokun was with the man who is today the President of Nigeria. My son was reading this column behind me as I typed away and he said: “Daddy, why can’t Egbetokun stop insecurity before the end of the year, so that we can enjoy the Christmas and the new year?”
