The out gone year for many reasons would remain in the minds of everyone living today due to the devastating impact it had on human lives and the economies of nations globally. Simply put, it was a year the world witnessed what can be called harvest of deaths, still not abating due to the strange corona virus. Back home, Nigerians had many reasons to bid 2020 farewell in a hurry, having had also the bitter taste of the pandemic and still battling, coupled with untold hardship, hunger, misery and confusion, occasioned by insecurity of lives and properties in the land It was in 2020, right from the dawn of the year, everything turned upside down, beginning from the total lockdown, the #ENDSARS protests, stretching to wide spread of insecurity that has remained the greatest challenge of the country at present. It was also a year the rate of suicide increased in the country as many Nigerians took their own lives owing to hardship and challenges of life they could not handle. Mention should also be made that the immediate past 2020 also witnessed massive loss of job and closure of many companies, leading to upsurge of unemployment rates amongst Nigerian young school leavers.
This is not talking of deep divisions along ethnic and religious lines, brought about by bad and weak leadership in the country. The increase in the pump price of petroleum motor spirit (PMS), and the electricity tariff in many ways also compounded the challenges of the people which now presents the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), as toothless organisation, having failed to mobilize Nigerians to protest in time of need and on the face of injustice. Generally the Nigerian people saw 2020 as a curse rather than blessing as eminent Nigerians from every tribe drew the attention of the government and warned also that unless something is done urgently, that the country could be dismembered even as they pointed that the wide acceptance of #ENDSARS protests by the Nigerian youths was a pointer for government to wake up from the slumber and fulfill its campaign promises. The call for restructuring of the country as a panacea for peace and unity of the country continued to resonate and was sounded loud and clear by different opinion leaders from various ethnic nationalities as the only way out of the country’s doldrum.
This call is rather becoming deafening in view of the clamour for equitable distributions of the nation’s resources. With the dawn of the New Year, 2021 there is high hope and expectations that there would be total turnaround of events, especially in the areas of economy and security of lives and properties of the people. Six years in the life of this administration, the Nigerian people have not seen much of the so called dividend of democracy instead the people are disillusioned and in fact regretted wasting their time in the election day. The government should move fast in the New Year to correct the imbalance in the system and above all, ensure that policies and programmes that are anti people are reversed or given human face. The government should be seen as walking the talk and not the other way round. We advise that the war against terror should be taken to the enemies camp and not allow again the killing of innocent people and kidnapping of hapless Nigerians to continue. The New Year should have a clear departure from what we knew in 2020 in terms of governance. The government should no longer stand aloof and ensure that the sanctity of human lives are promoted and protected adequately in the New Year. This is wishing all our readers happy New Year.
