(By Oludayo Tade)
“Food no dey, brother water no dey and our country no good o, everyday for thief one day for owner eee. Poor man wey thief maggi, dem go show him face for crime fighter, rich man we steal money we no dey see their face for crime fighter, tell me wetin I no know, make una lead us well no let this nation to fall inside Well, Mr President…..Lead us well… “
– (African China)
In order to account for the lived experiences of the Nigerian masses in 2017, I derive analytical strength from the philosophic and evergreen song by African China entitled ‘Mr President’. Its currency in capturing the tensions, contradictions and unresolved social problems in our country is beyond doubt. This classic song exhaustively espouses the problems of food, water, transportation, corruption in the police, the aggressive deceit of the masses by the political class and the complacency of the masses.
African China‘s ‘Mr President’ queries the sincerity of the President, the governors, the National Assembly and other political office holders in ‘leading well’ and urged them not to allow Nigeria experience cataclysm and ‘go inside well’. In other words, the country’s survival must be paramount in the minds of the leaders. All problems of crime, unemployment, unresolved labour and industrial crises must be totally resolved and not deceitfully come under the ‘technical decimation’ list of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. We now know that beyond technically decimation, Boko Haram have killed more Nigerians through successful attacks on civilians and military formations in the Northeast since 2015.
The year 2017 is ending with a controversial $1billion to ‘support’ the federal government in prosecuting the war. Elsewhere herdsmen continue to kill, steal and destroy while Nigerian humanitarian crisis deepened. Corruption gate-crashed into IDP camps as materials meant for those displaced were diverted and sold.
While PMB has achieved a little in the area of recovery of looted funds, the fight is blinded to insiders in APC. It involved deodorising ‘Mainagate’ and Babachir Lawal while fumigating perceived or real enemies of government. In 2017, the Nigerian government has produced more corrupt Nigerians. Corruption is now more daring and emboldened in Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and Universities.
It ushers and embraces you when you get to Customs, Immigration, Police, SARS, Airports and Government secretariats among others. There is no how those not paid for months will ‘see something and say something’. Nigerians ‘don dey survive’ with non-payment of salaries and lack of social welfare schemes by exploiting the system.
Despite providing basic utilities for themselves since government appears unconcerned, the year-ending is being hellishly experienced by the masses. It is an absurd reality that Nigerians cannot get fuel to buy. A student I know cannot travel for the festivities because transportation will gulp N24, 000 by road!. Outside campuses, people are stranded at bus stops, transporters increased fares since they now buy above N200 per litre, food prices sky-rocket and yet this government hastens to blame everything on the previous government.
This accounts for why, to many Nigerians the SELF comes before the NATION. Justifiably so because the State makes no provision for them; as petroleum availability is central to the livelihoods of the masses. With scarcity (artificial or real), the cloud is gloomy and it has implications for citizens’ trust and loyalty. Historically, same characters have found their ways to government in Nigeria having cornered collective patrimony to themselves. In such situation, little or nothing will change, hence “Everything for my country napadipadi, wayowayo arrange naani” as echoed by African China.
“And our road no good o, and with NEPA people….we no get light”. Tell me the good roads that you travelled on in 2017 within or outside your state? Or can you calculate how much you spent on self-generating power to remain alive? They even deceive outsiders with roads entering and exiting their states but abandon access community roads. The roads that concern the majority get funds ‘earmarked’ but not cash-backed. After destroying land transportation, they now fly. For example, 5,053 persons were killed in 9,694 road crashes recorded by FRSC alone in 2016. In the health sector, have we fared better in 2017? State House Health centre got billions of Naira in allocation but has no drug to treat the number one citizen. Despite enjoying good facilities in the UK for his health, the President has not learnt to reproduce same in his country for the masses to enjoy quality health institution.
Like the President, Governors, Ministers, legislators run abroad for health care while the masses are presented with ‘ultra-modern health facilities’ that are mere consulting clinics. In 2017, over 500 qualified medical doctors have jetted out of the country for a greener well structured and functional system.
Unemployment also features prominently in African China’s song ‘Mr President’. He noted that “Many youths ready for work but as work no dey na how dey wan survive”? How will the youths survive when according to the National Bureau of Statistics, 4.1million Nigerians, breadwinners to many, lost their jobs in 2017!.
Unemployment levitated from 14.2percent in 2016 to 18.8percent in 2017. People became indebted and committed suicide owing to lack of social support. Children dropped out of school. Health of many deteriorated; many who could not afford medical tourism suffered and died due to health sector strikes. Abandoned youths fought back by kidnapping men, women and children mostly based on their monetary worth.
Injustices characterised by detention, abuse and disregard for court pronouncements have become the norm of the PMB government. “Tell me something I no know, Policeman go see white, he go say that thing na red”. Nigeria Police received worse ranking in the year because they refused to remove force and brutality from their operation. #ENDSARS campaign exposes the incivility in the operational dispensation of policing services.
In sum, the masses have nothing to show in 2017 as their direct benefit from government since they have endured the fear of the unknown for the most part. PMB has begun state visitation; making statements connected to 2019. When accused of failures, they blame Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which All Progressive Congress (APC) currently harbours through ongoing and elaborate decamping ceremonies.
If we had nothing in 2017, then as shown in the 2018 budget narrative, it may well be wishful thinking to expect anything in the 2018. As African China retorts musically “People wey vote them still dey live in pain, this na disgrace, I am so ashamed. “Fuel no dey, everybody just dey halla fuel no dey how we wan survive”.As 2018 beckons, Mr President, Governors, and Legislators Lead Us well no let this nation ‘to fall inside Well’. Mr President!
Dr. Tade, a sociologist, writes via [email protected]