It was Winston Churchill who once said “when you are going through hell you should keep going”. It is equally been said that once there is destination there is destiny. So I ask which way Nigeria? Is there any hope in the present situation, I doubt! I only have an auspicious feeling that either in the near future or far future there will be hope for the hopeless. Once upon a time it was said that once there is life there is hope. There is no doubt numerous Nigerians have pondered and pondered and are still pondering where the country is going to and if there is any hope for recouping from the present issues. It has been my worries because Nigeria is said to be a land blessed with human and natural resources; yet majority of its citizens are living below poverty line.
On ousting the previous administration we Nigerians celebrated the inception of the new administration with high expectations; those who voted out the previous government expected heaven and earth hopefully from the new government. I am a proverbial Nigerian, who loves my country nevertheless hating the government, we have watched the government exhibit total negligence and insecurity in fighting the insurgence that has claimed thousands of lives. In the broad day light markets are being bombed, schools and churches/mosques are also bombed, villages are razed, job opportunities not forth coming, movement being restricted, ceding back our economy and not showing concern for our well-being. The resultant effect is not even stagnation rather regression which has taken us far backward compared to other countries of the continent. Keenly observing I then question with fear, if there is any hope.
As Nigerians, our expectations and hope on the new government is high, this is no fault of ours by faith or reason. We ran into hasty conclusion that this administration will be our period of renaissance. We were carried away by the “change campaign” couple with the hope of breakthrough which we have been longing for. This has compelled me to ask who that messiah would be or where he will spring from; that messiah who will ignites the light of hope.
To analyze the level at which the search for hope was in Nigeria, one has to retrospect how the “change campaign” supporters took to the streets across the country to celebrate the victory of the new president, they celebrated to a fault which resulted to the death of over hundreds of people cut across Nigeria, youths engaged in all sort of bizarre stunts of which were fatal; many displaying different kinds of guns and other dangerous weapons, shooting into the air and chanting heroic songs, some of the victims were either hit by a moving vehicle making stunt displays or lost their footing while watching the activities. The causality was report specifying that states like Adamawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kano, Edo, Rivers state were severely affected, 17 victims died in Kano, 4 in Abuja, 3 in Kontagora, Niger state and 1 in Makurdi, 3 people were equally crushed to death at Naibawa U-turn when a man in a Toyota camry car lost control and rammed into those celebrating. 2 teenagers were crushed to death also along Zaria road by a crazy driver; Kano state police command discovered seven corps of unknown persons on the streets after the celebration. It was in the spirit of hope that they were all celebrating. However can we say there is now hope?
I was tempted to ask, why we were dancing, why we were rolling out drums, it seems to have turned into tradition or can it also be a search for hope? We dance and celebrate any time a new president is been announced only to start crying few months later, this has turn to a routine to us Nigerians, again and again we danced and again and again we are caused to cry at the end. Could this be an over display of hope? Or is the hope search moderate? It is making us fall for every story that promises hope to Nigeria, we fell for the “change campaign” the same way we fell for the story of the president born without shoes. The same way we fell for the story of the supposed political messiah who ended up in a bid to extend his tenure.
If I had my way I will constantly remind those in-charge that Nigerians are yearning for true change which they persuaded us to believe they represent, truthfully ‘YOU’ represent the hope for this change and a promise of a brighter Nigeria. Nigeria will become a hopeless land and land of the hopeless only when you let us down, for “to whom much is given, of him much is expected”.
Written by:
Ugwuishi Emmanuel Chinonso