Opinion

STATE OF THE NATION: NIGERIA IS FAILING

Akintona Timilehin Emmanuel

Over the years, the Nigerian governmental activities influenced by politics have been in shambles and we cannot continue to hide as it affects the daily lives of the citizens. For the very first time in this country, we have recorded high inflation, poor standard of living, strikes from officers of various sectors, fuel scarcity, poor power supply and high crime rate. 

Right before our eyes our nation is failing and the labor of our heroes' past is being jeopardized by some set of  rancorous elites, politicians or powerful men, who lack basic knowledge on how to run the affairs of a country. 

According to Martin Luther king jr. "it's evil to be silent in the face of oppression, injustice and corruption"  we have to take a side and that is the side of TRUTH, we cannot continue to hide.  

Today, 19/03/2022, fuel is at N200 per liter and up to N500 per liter at black market, Nigeria is an oil producing country, petrol is a by-product of crude oil and if we have crude oil in excess why do we suffer to get the end product for our daily consumption? 

As reported by mainstream media on 25th of February 2022, "fuel subsidy gulps up to 210billion as NNPC records zero remittance to FAAC". The ongoing corruption and theft in the oil industry is like cancer and it is eating up resources leaving the country in shambles. 

In a Tweet by the chairman of Heirs holding, Mr Tony Elumelu  he complained about the corruption in the oil and gas industry, which amounts to 95% of the oil produced in Nigeria being stolen. Few people cannot hold over 190million people to ransom, we must be ready to change the status quo. 

On security, the government of the day has not done anything worthy of commendation, as a matter of fact they have left it worse than they met it. In every part of the country we now count dead bodies. We experience unfortunate situations,  fighting too many battles at the same time, the enemies within are ready to see this country crumble before our eyes. 

In retrospect, notable Nigerians have come out to speak on the collusion between security agencies and terrorists in our country, On 24th of march 2018, former COAS TY DANJUMA  accused the Nigerian army of colluding with terrorists to kill the people,  also late OBADIAH  MALAIFA  former deputy governor of the central bank of Nigeria spoke about how men of Nigeria police ushered banditry to our country, till today this statement has not been investigated. 

The sad reality is that insecurity is touching every part of the country, from herdsmen to banditry to cultism and armed robbery. you cannot escape it and if we remain silent, people will continue to die as long as they are not affected, they care less. 

The consistent strike by ASUU is another blow to this government,  the president has paid more attention to his medical trip and fraternization with party activities, than paying rapt attention to the educational sector. The president and his cronies will rather have their children school abroad than fixing the educational sector. 

Students who are supposed to be in the classroom are in their various homes, even parents cannot afford high school fees in some government owned institutions. Hence, if you must tackle crime, you must fix the educational sector, they must add value to it and make education more attractive. People who enjoyed free education under chief Obafemi Awolowo should not hold the destiny of millions of Nigerian students.

Our Economy is not beyond repair. The president and his team need to get the best hand to revive this economy, Although it is quite late for him to mend considering he has a few months to vacate the office, but then if he must write his name in gold, we must begin to utilize the various loans they have collected. 

They have borrowed every money available yet, there is nothing to show for it, growth should reflect in the lives of the citizens and not on the pages of newspapers. We cannot continue to pretend as if all is well, the common man is suffering, hunger virus is the greatest virus on earth, other countries have tackled it in time past, we can also do that in Nigeria.

Finally, I am speaking to you from a place of pain and with a heavy heart, I am speaking on behalf of millions of Nigerian youths that are tired. We cannot continue like this. The election year is coming and we must come out to vote for visionary leaders. The era of "bread and akara politics" is over. It is time for serious business

Akintona Timilehin Emmanuel is the PRO of the National Association of Nigerian Students' Joint Campus Committee (Lagos Chapter)