The insincerity of the Nigerian government
The year 2015 was a defining moment of historical significance that ought to birth a new epoch in our political dispensation. The years of lackluster performance witnessed during the PDP years made people go all the way to effect a change and with many hopes of a new dawn, they revel in the joy of the moment. But as the years went by, the lackluster performance became a template for good governance at the behest of poor performance from the government of the day. Such was the woe that befell Nigeria in 2015 which has lingered till now.
Do you know that the essence of governance is the preservation of human rights and a sincere drive towards the citizens’ betterment? That necessitates caution in the choice of leaders that will serve citizens as their destiny for that political tarriance is vested in the hands of the elected leaders. This is quite apposite in describing the state of the nation as citizens elect those that will send them to the gallows. Such is the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari who ascended into power with huge promises of a better Nigeria. His persona has always been more talk devoid of action and this can be seen in his campaign promises and what he has been able to deliver.
Governance should be progressive and an upgrade to what has been before but when a government regresses on all indices of development, such government is a failure. With unemployment at 35% in 2021(https://bit.ly/38pMK4v), inflation at 15.7%, and food inflation at 17.11% in 2022 (https://bit.ly/38n70Uu), 1743 deaths in Q1 2022 ( https://bit.ly/37FiNxE), these are all testament to the sorry state of our nation under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Just like the Late Okun man Pius Adesanmi presaged, that the government would have “stylishly declared even your poverty a privilege”, such is the bile at the mouth of Nigerians at this present time. Never have we experienced this gross decline in security, living standards, and welfare. Governance should be a social contract between the government and the people and in maintaining such a contract, the government seeks a better life for the people. Also, in a democracy, power is resident with the people but alas, such is just a quixotic dream with Nigerians.
Government is all-inclusive and you can’t focus on a particular sector to the detriment of others. You can`t develop infrastructures and not attend to the welfare of the people. Food, shelter, and clothing are the basics of life but when your citizens can’t afford that, that shows you were never for them. It should be the sincere goal of a government to make life better for the citizenry and make them prosper, but this has not been in Nigeria. As part of the insincerity of the government is the policies, they enacted which dealt a major blow to the masses. Such as the tale of the border closure which culminated in high inflation. Though, the intent was good but to what end, what did we gain for closing the border and what fueled the decision to reopen it now.
It’s a sad reality that at the penultimate year to the 2023 general elections, students are at home wasting away due to the annual charade of shame between the government and ASUU. A government that would not prioritize education is one destroying its future. Also, the menace at Lekki Toll gate which the government made all attempts to erase, the seizure of “indomeen” for personal gains, the cryptocurrency ban, the Twitter ban, the clampdown on freedom and human right and so many mishaps that came with this administration. All these were done with no forethought and it came with no positive gains for the country.
The dynamic of our politics has always been one laced with insincerity. The current drive for the presidency attests to the thirst for power from people without the resolve to contribute to the citizen. This is the tale of the insincerity of the government in Nigeria and it would be good if we can effect a change come 2023 but until then let the yoots keep standing on the mandate of their oppressors.