Easter, the beacon of hope for the Christian faithful owing to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, is celebrated with pomp and ceremony every year. This has remained the tradition since the past 2000 years, after Christ’s calvary to save humanity from eternal damnation. The celebration is universal and Nigeria being part of the globe is not left out, but the despondency in our clime, occasioned by hardship and misery, unfortunately accounts largely for the lull in the celebration of this year’s Easter. The psyche of many obviously has been affected by the troubles rocking the land, where many today are still living in the Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs) Camps.
The recent abduction of train passengers who were travelling from Abuja to Kaduna and the latest attack on Benue and Plateau States have left in its wake serious wailings and sufferings unfortunately. Presently, it appears as if the entire country is subdued by the rampaging terrorists who are unleashing mayhem everywhere, high cost of living, insecurity, resulting in senseless killings, kidnapping, epileptic power supply, high cost of transportation, amongst other calamities happening in quick succession all over the nation. The poverty in the land unfortunately is so pronounced such that it’s only a few fortunate citizens who know where their next meal will come from, leaving us with the question; of what importance is it for us to claim that we are the biggest economy on the African continent, and yet the economic indices point to the negative? No thanks to the prediction of the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) that painted a gloomy future for the country if nothing urgent and drastic is done to ameliorate and arrest the ugly trend ravaging the country.
Commentators on national issues on daily basis are drawing the attention of the Federal government to the plight of the people and urging the president Muhammadu Buhari led administration to do something fast to save the lives of many that are currently dying due to starvation and hunger. For example, common meals like rice and beans that are consumed daily in an average home in the past are now by far beyond the affordability of the common man in the society.
This is also applicable to other staple foods consumed by every home that the people rely upon for survival. Overall, the tale of woes is echoing almost everywhere. For more than two months now, both the States and Federal-owned institutions in the country are still under lock and key without any concrete agreement reached till date between the Federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume academic activities. Although there have been attempts by the Federal government to explain few things it’s doing to alleviate the sufferings of the people, but the indicators on ground do not support such claims because, day by day, the hue and cry never ceases; instead, it continues to reverberate in every nook and cranny of the society. For many, the country is on a standstill given what the masses of the society are going through, especially now that people cannot afford to feed their families in a country that is heavily endowed by God. The situation in the country today demands that, Nigerians, going forward, should eschew the idea of voting along ethno-religious lines not only in the forthcoming general election but in every elections in the country.
The hunger in the land is much more than what the ordinary eye can see, and this cuts across the six geo-political zones in the country; with Christians and Muslims alike suffering the same fate. Those who are jumping up and down supporting politicians who do not know love should wake up, especially now that many of them are criss-crossing the length and breadth of the country in preparation for the 2023 elections. However, our leaders should always strive to do better because if this hunger persists more than what it is today, those who feel that they are living in ivory towers, suddenly would realize that there may not be any safe place to hide. Democracy should be a blessing and not the other way round as many are beginning to understand, based on the Nigerian situation today, economically and politically. This suffering must be addressed now!
