Calls for good governance have become a regular issue, and this may last until the government addresses the prevailing hunger in the country, especially, which appears to have brought together Nigerians of late. Suddenly, people have forgotten their religious differences and party affiliations, and are in unison, calling for bread. Hunger in the land is like the game of football that unites us all, each time Nigeria is on the field of play. It’s no longer a joke that the style of governance in the country is not adding up, owing to the inability and failure of the leaders at all levels to do the right thing.
Our brand of democracy, equally has become an object of scorn, because the so-called democrats have turned the meaning of the word upside down, leaving the citizens to wallow in penury. The wide margin between the leaders and the led, continues to widen, despite the deafening calls by civil rights groups, including religious leaders to address the imbalance. Only recently, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), in a communique issued after their first 2024 plenary, held in Abuja, stressed that Nigerians can only journey together if the basic needs of the people are looked into by the government.
They expressed strong solidarity with the people, who they said are going through untold economic hardship and security challenge, and therefore, called for reversal of the ugly trend. Besides, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), also made good its threat when it embarked on peaceful nationwide protest to demand for the rights of the Nigerian workers, whose monthly minimum wage cannot buy half bag of rice in today’s Nigeria. This was after several negotiations to increase the workers’ salaries failed. The much talked about insecurity which has become a major problem to farmers and everyone is yet to be tackled decisively by the government.
The insurgents are still unleashing mayhem, even as many innocent people are taken captive. Buses plying the highways are hijacked and passengers are either killed or kidnapped by AK 47 wielding marauders. In our previous comments, we had also advised the government to roll up its sleeves and ensure that the yearnings of the people are met, and urgently too. We also cautioned that it cannot be business as usual whereby the politicians feel they can continue their old ways of looting the national treasury, and watch the people die of hunger.
The cry everywhere in Nigeria today is hunger! hunger!! hunger!!! It would be uncharitable on the part of government to pretend and assume that all is well; no matter how the president’s spokespersons try to paint the situation. Unfortunately, the stampede that reportedly took place at Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos, at the Nigeria Custom Service office where people went to buy rice at giveaway price, claimed the lives of some Nigerians. This should serve as the final straw that broke the camel’s back. What is to come next if this issue of hunger is not addressed can only be imagined. You cannot tell a hungry man to wait. That is the situation in Nigeria today.
This national shame must be quickly attended to by the different levels of government at all cost. Again, development must not be concentrated in one area of the country. Government should spread its infrastructure across the states, to enhance industrialisation and mobility of labour. People should be encouraged to go back to the farms; security challenge in our villages and rural areas should be completely dismantled. Internally displaced persons resettled without further excuses. Incidentally, many of those who worked for the previous government of former president Muhammadu Buhari had admitted that wrong steps were taken by the government.
We therefore, warn that his successor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should avoid the banana peels identified as corruption, nepotism, high handedness, disrespect for the rule of law, lack of freedom of expression, among other vices that are anti-democratic. We call on the government of the day to listen to the yearnings of the people to avoid collateral damage in the end.
