Danladi Usman, an Abuja-based public affairs analyst, paints a torrid picture of what it is like to live in Nigeria today and the continuous drubbing of the lean resources available to compound issues.
Dateline: Abuja. Very early in the morning, I stood in front of Shoprite, along the airport road, watching the traffic build up. Several hundreds of cars had already lined up the busy road that early morning, all concentrating on reaching the main city. The Shoprite is located near Lugbe, about thirty kilometers from the city gate, and usually at this time in the morning, 7.30 am motorists and commuters struggle to get to their destination. I had just left my hotel room just to catch a feel of what the town is like, having slept without light all through the night. The generator, as I learned, had packed up, having worked all through the night and the day. It is instructive that Abuja, like every other city in Nigeria, suffers from incessant power failure, which automatically stagnates life and the economy.
This has been going on for decades with each government muttering inanities and paying lip services to the cankerworm. Now, as I watch the vehicular movement, I wonder where they are heading because, here, in Abuja, the seat of the Federal Capital, there is no factory, industry, or anything to provide gainful employment and life. The spark of life that should have been there has been yanked away by the perennial power failure leaving the city dry and empty with the few rich taking to the Solar system. Inverters, and generators as alternatives for light. So, I asked myself, if there are no factories, industries, or manufacturing plants, where are these motorists rushing to? What are they going to do in the city? I tried to think properly.
The Hotels around, are almost empty, which is a hangover from lack of patronage; those who could have afforded its services, are incapacitated by the punishing atmosphere of high inflation, abnormal cost of the dollar to the naira, out-of-reach cost of diesel, and now petrol not to mention kerosene that has long gone out of stock—or reach! The environment is so stiff and sickening; the citizens, once patriotic are confused and aghast; they are pummeled and over-taxed by a seemingly insensitive government that thinks of nothing other than to suck consistently from the dying public! It suddenly occurred to me that, these motorists-all of them turned emergency business men-are all heading for government ministries to struggle for unavailable contracts! Shockingly, Nigerians are now reduced to being one-room shop owners, briefcase-wielding businessmen, consultants, civil society crusaders, social critics, and self-appointed managing directors! Oh yes!
This is the picture on the ground. With no manufacturing companies, no industries, Assembly plants, Iron and Steel consigns, Textile factories, Gas Companies, or functioning Refineries, everything is now down to imports, the Dollar has no alternative than to skyrocket! With a gloomy picture like this, Nigerians should be grateful that the Dollar is still what it is today. The prayer is that some measure of stability should be achieved before matters get worse. Now, back to my dream world, I discovered in less than two hours the vehicular traffic had disappeared with the owners and passengers disembarking to their various hustling destinations. I was there again by nightfall to watch the reverse drift and I saluted the resilience of Nigerians. It is tough, but Nigerians still manage to find their way. They have the drive, the charisma, and the persistence. Above all, the hope is there that someday respite will come. You see them drive their cars even on the highways glued to their mobile phones; they seem to be talking all the time despite road safety concerns.
They are not bothered by the huge gap left behind by advanced countries; they see what is happening through the internet and various communication gadgets. Visit any supermarket and you will see them shopping, you might add the word—carelessly—as though money has no real value. The dollar is high, but that’s not their business; they are easygoing and want more out of life; only that their so-called leaders are failing them—badly too for that matter. They see the sincerity in leaders from other countries, how they subject themselves to the rule of law and order; but here, they are above the law and constantly working to undermine due process; booming sounds of the Wike’s, Akpabio’s, Gbajabiamila and co resonates the air, bragging about one imaginary feat or the other. They talk about imaginary opportunities created, about how the government is breaking down barriers, of some groundbreaking achievements; in reality, these things exist only in Television—the NTA, AIT, Channels or Arise media. Nothing is seen or felt on the ground.
Motorists drive on pothole roads, residents sleep at night with no electricity as well as grapple with the high cost of almost everything—electric bills, cooking gas, staple foods and yet suffer irreparably in silence; they grit their teeth and wish for succor; they can tolerate the lies being told by heartless government officials-if only they can get something out of their sweat; that again appears impossible; there is a death-like struggle these days on the streets and offices; people are tensed and the tension is felt like hot cake; it is just a spark that is needed to set the entire place ablaze! Unlike before, the heydays of our fathers, like the Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, and even Yakubu Gowon, Nigerians lived a happy life of honesty, truth, and good governance; but today, all that is gone—not with the wind, but with absolute greed and avarice! Tired of looking, I decided to make my way back to the hotel. On getting there, I asked the receptionist whether “nepa” had brought light and she said, “No sir, we are still expecting it!” I shook my head and quietly climbed the stairs to my bedroom, resigned to the gloomy times ahead. As I sat on the bed and switched on the television, I saw an APC stalwart on air telling Nigerians that there is no vacancy in 2027! I laughed and dozed off.
