When Karl Maier wrote “This House Has Fallen: Nigeria in Crisis,” in the year 2000, we never knew that Nigeria was still a paradise then. Today, the country’s currency, the naira, is not the only thing in a free fall. Almost everything, including the economy, security, health, education and many other sectors, is collapsing. Simply put, Nigeria is in a free fall.
Bad leadership is the major problem. Every successive government performs worse than its predecessors. Looking back, it does appear that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, with all his imperfections, is the best leader we have had since 1999. The late Musa Yar’Adua’s administration was short-lived. He died after spending only three years in office. Goodluck Jonathan who took over from him was described as weak and clueless. Insecurity was high, as it was during his tenure that Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped 276 Chibok schoolgirls. Nigerians agitated for change. When Muhammadu Buhari came with his change mantra, many Nigerians were deceived. They saw him as a no-nonsense retired military general who would sanitize the country. By the time Buhari’s tenure ended in May 2023, so many things had gone wrong. He promised to fix the economy, to fight corruption and insecurity. He left Nigeria worse than he met it.
Bola Tinubu came with his own promises last year. Many Nigerians were not deceived though. They didn’t vote for him. But a combination of poor electoral and judicial systems denied them their rightful choice. Nevertheless, the wish of many of us then was, “Anybody but Buhari.” Now, it is becoming apparent that Buhari may end up being a saint.
We had the first inkling that we may have entered a vehicle with knocked engine on Tinubu’s inauguration day. He gleefully announced that fuel subsidy was gone without considering the grave implications of the sudden announcement and without palliative measures. Nigerians are still battling with that singular pronouncement. The first casualty was Nigeria’s number one product, petrol, which rose from about N158 a litre to over N600 a litre. Prices of other commodities followed suit.
We are all living witnesses to the unprecedented high inflation that has crippled the country. In December 2023, inflation rate rose to 28.92 per cent, its highest in over 27 years. In November, it was 28.20 per cent. Food inflation rose to 33.93 per cent in the same December from 32.84 per cent in November. When Tinubu took over in May last year, the rate of inflation was 22.41 per cent. When the All Progressives Congress (APC) government took over from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in May 2015, the inflation rate was 9 per cent.
If you visit the market today, chances are that the prices of those essential commodities you bought yesterday may have moved upwards. A bag of 50kg of rice is a typical example of how prices of things have changed. In 2015, the price of that commodity was less N10,000. Today, it goes for an average of N50,000. Meanwhile, the minimum wage remains N30,000. The Federal Government and the labour movement are still debating how much to review it to.
Naira has received the worst pummeling in recent times. From less than N200 to a dollar a few years ago, the exchange rate now is over N1,400 to a dollar. There is no hope for redemption as we don’t have the production capacity that will shore up the value of the naira.
As President Tinubu junkets around the world under the guise of looking for investors, a number of companies are either folding up or bidding goodbye to Nigeria. Pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is one of them. Procter & Gamble is another. The exit of some of these companies has worsened the rate of unemployment in the country.
It has also worsened the rate of insecurity. Today, our hearts are in our mouths. Kidnapping has become a lucrative business. The danger now is that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which used to be very secure, has also fallen into the hands of kidnappers and terrorists. People now stand the risk of being abducted in their houses, as happened to the Al-Kadriya family and some others. Recall that six sisters and their father, Alhaji Monsoor Al-Kadriya, were kidnapped from their home in Abuja last January. The kidnappers killed one of the sisters, Nabeeha, when the father could not bring the ransom demanded from him on time. The other sisters have been released though.
The South-West also used to be relatively safer than other zones of Nigeria. Today, the story is changing. Two monarchs were killed in Ekiti State last month. Some schoolchildren were also abducted in the same Ekiti at the same period. There are other heart-rending incidents that I don’t want to bore you with.
The tragedy in all this is that the man who should be directly in charge of finding solutions to these problems appears not bothered. At a time when he should be visiting victims of the wanton killings in Plateau State and elsewhere and giving them message of renewed hope, our President travelled to Paris, France, on a private visit. We were not told the nature of this private visit.
We were simply told he would return first week of February. Serious leaders do not travel to other countries and stay for days or weeks in the name of private visits when their country is burning. I can’t remember any country’s President who has paid us such a visit in Nigeria.
Besides, there is nothing private about a President’s visit. If the President is sick and needs medical attention abroad, his countrymen should know. Namibian President, Hage Geingob, announced recently that he would be visiting the United States for a specialized medical treatment. Nobody has condemned him for that. Rather, he received encomiums for informing his people about his health plight, which happens to be the discovery of cancerous cells in his body. King Charles of England did a similar thing. He informed his people about his treatment for enlarged prostate last month. Last week, the United States Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, apologized to his people for keeping his recent hospitalization secret. He had prostate cancer surgery last December, but developed complications, which brought him back to the hospital last January. He faced serious criticisms for not disclosing his health condition.
The current leadership should rescue Nigeria from its free fall. The President should wake up from his slumber, else, the entire nation will be consumed. And nobody will be safe from the looming danger. Tinubu should be reminded of the popular saying of the 33rd President of the United States, Harry Truman: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Re: Insecurity and First Lady’s prayer request
Casmir, insecurity in Nigeria can be traced back to the corruption in government which created a big gap between the haves and the have-nots. The government has failed to demonstrate that the masses on whose mandate they claim to be representing are actually getting the desired dividends. The major cause of insecurity is lack of sincerity on the part of government. Money budgeted for weapons are allegedly diverted to private purses. Inferior weapons are allegedly supplied in order to cover up for the money budgeted. Also, criminals who have found themselves as government officials remain adamant in sabotaging the good effort to annihilate the forces of darkness. Unfortunately, government has not been sincere in giving the country quality security. International Community with high efficient security prowess should be engaged to assist Nigeria. Restructuring is another must to be done as each region will activate a better security network to checkmate the criminals. Traditional rulers should also be involved as no criminals hang in the air. They all live within some traditional jurisdiction. It’s only when all these things are perfected that prayers could come in to actualize the maximum benefits.
– Pharmacist Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922
Casmir, to a large extent, the First Lady is right. Nigeria is a ‘pompous’ and an ungrateful nation! Despite all the natural resources and clement weather that God gave Nigeria, the country does not have a national day for prayer and thanksgiving! If my people (we become God’s people when we acknowledge him as a nation not as individuals) that are called by ‘my name’ (not a name given to us by Flora Shaw Lugard) shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and not rely solely on sophisticated weapons or kinetic approach that has failed since 2010, I will hear from above/heaven and heal (solve their challenges) their land (Nigeria). It is not by power nor by might but by the spirit of the lord. The spiritual realm controls the physical realm. Insecurity is festering and remains intractable because God who is mighty in battle is not involved! Prayer of a nation brings mercy that brings grace that engraces the wisdom of leaders to know what to do and how to solve challenges. Grace brings favour to end insecurity issues! Grace prevents security personnel from errors like bombing citizens with their ‘sophisticated weapons’! There are kinetic (pragmatic) and non-kinetic approach to insecurity issues. Heavenly wisdom must rub off earthly wisdom to prevail in both. Bandits and kidnappers pray before and after operations. The fervent prayer of a righteous nation availeth much.
– Mike, Mushin, +234 816 111 4572
It’s a truism that “prayer without good work is dead”. And prayer without faith is also dead due to our sustained system failure. Ours is a failed system, and the insincerity in our leaders’ approach also serves as a platform for amplification of insecurity.
– Edet Essien Esq Cal South, 0810 809 5633