Nigeria my country, hmmm. Do you know that the solutions to the problems of this country all lie in our hands as the citizens? No one is to be blamed for the present situation of the country, I mean, the country’s instability. I know this might not sit well with you but this is an opinion piece.
Years back, Nigeria used to be one of the most efficient and resourceful countries. It was best known for its agricultural manifestation and heritage, cultural creative expression, cooperative hard work, religious tolerance, to name a few. A country that grabbed the attention of foreigners who got interested in the God-given resources and mind-blowing beauty, it was a place to be. Though, it was part of the less-developed countries, its citizens knew no lack when it came to feeding, finance and security. Come to think of it, is that the situation now?
How did it change suddenly? How did our finance and security become so disastrous as this? What made our culture and heritage insignificant? Indisputably, the present situation of this country is far from what our ancestors expected as a future before their departure. This bewildering change was caused by everyone, collectively, with no single person responsible. We need to come to this reality. Having a good understanding of the fact that we caused it together, enables us to tackle it and resolve it collectively. Confused? Sit back! let me explain.
Take a look at these.
The combination of actions and decisions of many caused these changes. Let’s take it from political instability, I think this is the apex of Nigeria’s problem at the moment. It is clear: the complexity of the Nigerian political system, political decisions, political strategies and changes in policies are due to collective actions and negotiations of multiple political leaders and stake holders.
So, certain unfavourable changes that have taken place due to policy changes should be traced back to the probable unthoughtful decision made by a group of the country’s citizens. Similarly, social changes are the product of the collective action and interactions of societal groups. When trying to figure out the cause of the country’s instability, we should consider these.
Let’s take a look at our economy, the issue of scarcity. The economic system of the country has been corrupted by the so-called citizens of Nigeria, starting from the government to the masses. Inflation, market fluctuations and so on are influenced by certain actions of businesses, consumers, sellers and more to mention.
For instance, a market woman added 50 bags of rice which she bought at a rate of #70,000per bag to her store. On the third day, before selling any of the rice, she heard that the price has already increased to #80,000per bag.i.e. from where she bought it. Now instead of selling in a considerable manner at a retail price of maybe #75,000 or #80,000per bag. In this Nigeria, most market women would sell it #90,000 to #100,000per bag. What can we use to qualify this than corruption? This is one of the actions that has led to economic instability and market fluctuations. The market policy makers are also doing their deeds to amass wealth. All these are increasing the country’s instability.
Conclusion
No one is left out of this, we can also trace it to our homes. The manner in which children and youth are trained has changed drastically over the years. This has led to ill-mannered citizens, increasing the level of insecurity. The political, religious and social leaders also show lackadaisical attitude towards complaints and interest of those under them. All these have collectively led to the unpleasant situation we have in Nigeria today.
I need your understanding here, I’m not trying to blame or support anyone or any group of people. All I am trying to pass across is that, having full awareness of the fact that all these changes were caused by our collective actions, would trigger our thoughtful and collective decisions in bringing it back to normal.
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