The year 2020 would be remembered as one of the worst in living memory. It was the year of rapid COVID-19 pandemic deaths, insecurity, kidnapping, banditry and other criminalities. As we enter the New Year 2021, let us pray fervently that the bad things we witnessed in 2020 will not recur.
Let us also pray that the rising insecurity will soon be tackled. As community transmission of COVID-19 escalates, we shall all resolve to avoid crowds, keep social distance, wash hands frequently with soap and running water, wear face masks and observe all COVID-19 safety protocols. While some people have kept faith with observing the COVID-19 safety measures, others have continued to live in denial as if the disease does not exist.
It is pathetic that many worship centres are behaving as if Nigerians are immune from the pandemic as they no longer observe the pandemic protocols. Some men of God believe that we have no pact with the pandemic. Some even say COVID-19 is for white people and other races. They don’t believe it will affect them. With faith, they go about without face masks. They even mock those who try to keep the safety protocols.
The situation is worst in the villages where they move about oblivious of the harm COVID-19 has done in Europe and America. They say that the disease is for big men, for politicians and those in Abuja and Lagos. That is why they don’t keep social distance during marriage and burial ceremonies. The politicians did not help matters. In most of the recent electioneering campaigns, especially in Edo and later Ondo states, COVID-19 protocols were observed in the breach.
Also, in some of the burial ceremonies of some of big people that died from the disease, these protocols were jettisoned. Some prominent politicians do not wear the face masks in public thereby setting bad examples for the citizens.
Apart from the nation’s worst economic recession ever and dwindling revenue from oil, Nigerians are grappling with the harsh effects of the pandemic and general insecurity. The pandemic has reduced drastically the purchasing power of many Nigerians. The value of the naira has fallen below other currencies in recent times. The pandemic has led to many job losses and closure of some businesses.
Also, prices of essential commodities and food items such as rice, garri, beans, yam and others are steadily on the rise. The price of meat and fish, tomato is soaring on a daily basis.The insurgents, bandits and killer herdsmen have made many farmers to stop farming. This has affected food security and national hunger is looming in the land. With rising insecurity and increasing bloodbath in the nation’s food basket zones, famine is lurking in the horizon.
Despite these calamities, there is hope that God has not yet finished with us. We are children of destiny and hope. We are children of promise. We are still people of a blessed nation and the acclaimed happiest people on earth. Above all, we have enormous human and material resources including oil and gas, gold, iron, lead, zinc, copper and so many others.
Our weather is about the best in the world. Our land is good for agriculture. In fact, nature is so prodigal with us that it gave us everything we need and enough for our sustenance, including exotic fruits. Then why are we so troubled? But we lack good leaders. We lack imaginative and creative leaders. We lack leaders with emotional intelligence. Our leaders are bereft of ideas to deploy our growing population to work productively as China has done.
We have leaders who daily abuse our diversity, dividing us with class, sex, tribe and religion. We have leaders who are adept at promoting our differences instead of using them to forge a united nation and an egalitarian society. We have enough waters for fish farming.
Despite the failures of our political elite, Nigerians still enliven the bad situation with humour. We know how to laugh at ourselves. That is why stand-up comedy is a big business in the country. Very soon, we shall rank as the biggest exporter of comedians in the world. Our film industry, Nollywood, created by ordinary Nigerians without any support from the government, is one of the best in the world.
It will soon catch up with Hollywood and Bollywood. We should rank as the most humourous people on earth. We should rank as the easiest people to govern on earth, a people that do not demand so much from the government, a people that fix their own security, water and electricity.
Despite the encumbering insecurity across the country, threatening hunger and lockdown of the nation’s public universities, there is still hope that things will get better in 2021. The year 2020 has passed away with everything bad that occurred in it, including the #EndSARS peaceful protest that later degenerated to violence, looting, arson and deaths. We remember the death of many loved ones due to one ailment or the other, the killing of over 67 rice farmers in Borno State, the kidnap and rescue of about 344 students of Government Science Secondary School in Kankara in Katsina State and the abduction and rescue of 80 students of an Islamic school in Katsina.
It appears that kidnapping has become the biggest and most thriving business in the country. We cannot forget in a hurry the looting of palliatives warehouses in Lagos and other parts of the country by hungry Nigerians. That scramble for palliatives led to the looting of other warehouses whether they contain palliatives or not. We saw on national television how some Nigerians looted windows and doors of some warehouses including pesticide-treated seeds meant for planting and NAFDAC seized drugs.
We will remember 2020 for threatening insecurity in the country, the kidnapping of travelers on our highways, especially in the North as well as President Donald Trump’s management of his electoral loss to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We saw in America and Trump those action associated with despots in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Just like other people the world over, Nigerians believe that 2020 is a year to remember for so many reasons, good or bad or both. As we welcome 2021, may our leaders make life better for all Nigerians and stop things from falling apart.
It is good that our public universities will soon be reopened so that our students can go back to school after almost one year of ASUU strike now that ASUU has suspended the strike ‘conditionally.’ Varsity teachers as world class researchers must come up with non-strike mechanism to resolve ASUU disputes with the government. University teachers should stop using strike as a weapon to negotiate with government at every point in time.
The Aluta mentality belongs to motor park touts and must be treated as a stranger in academic environment. Strike is outdated and no longer fashionable in resolving trade disputes. Strike is no longer in vogue. It has outlived its usefulness and must be discarded by ASUU leadership. The Federal Government must seriously fund university education and stop the hide and seek game with ASUU and other unions.
Above all, government should stop negotiating with bandits, kidnappers and terrorists and treat them as enemies of the state.Government must ensure the security and welfare of all Nigerians. Despite all odds, I wish our esteemed readers a Happy New Year.