There is Hunger in the Land.

Our Country....Our Pride....

These past few weeks have been devastating for Nigerians in the country and those in the diaspora. We thought we'd seen it all with Covid-19, and earnestly looked forward to a soft landing through what is left of 2020. Unfortunately, all of a sudden, this crisis erupts. Going over some videos and pictures on social media has been one of the most difficult things ever; it is as though the gory scenes have all sipped in through my pores like bullets that came down on peaceful protesters right there at the Lagos Lekki tollgate. So also it is for all Nigerians and friends of the country who witnessed the chaos on that fateful night. Not forgetting proceeding events in the form of the destruction of property and more anarchy. There is absolutely nowhere to run to because Nigeria is our motherland. It is evident that all started with one hunger or yearn, and as those days went by, more needs surfaced. At first, citizens raised concern for their safety, then good governance, and obviously, we now have a situation of aggression due to hunger and poverty which is clearly seen with the looting of businesses and houses in some states.

 

One major plea from the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was for their lives (to matter) to be safe in the hands of some security operatives who have gone haywire in carrying out their duties; coupled with unannounced arrests, and those who turned trigger happy. It was simply a call for the government to end all manner of police brutality. In the light of this peaceful demonstration, the nation witnessed uproar of chaos from all sides. For instance, hoodlums were deployed to cause anarchy, followed by shootings and broad day looting; these amounted to the degeneration of an event that started off as an earnest match towards a new Nigeria.

Another significant call was to bring to an end bad governance, to encourage equality for all Nigerians in terms of employment opportunities; to improve the standard of our education system, and  infrastructure. Additionally, those protesting drew our minds to the deplorable state of the nation and the need for an overhauling of the new system starting with the salary scale. For instance, the unimaginable take home by our own security operatives and employees. Thus, there was need to review the county’s pay-packet.

Unfortunately, as events unfold, we now have a situation of looting, vandalism and increase in the number of deaths. This started with breaking and entry into malls and shopping centres in different states, discovering of store houses for Covid-19 palliatives by some citizens, and now they have turned to houses of politicians who they believe ought to be held accountable for the state of the nation. Most likely if we have a working system devoid of unemployment, poverty, hunger, illiteracy and so much more, this shouldn’t have been the case. As it is, the poor masses are taking advantage of the situation to show where the shoe hurts the most. This is seen with the overwhelming amount of people who turned out in search of food for the hungry stomach.

Collectively, nobody ever wishes to wake up in a country torn apart by crisis, but as it is, Nigerian is obviously starved of her right to good governance; she still struggles with maintaining an effective security system; clearly knee deep in poverty; has an alarming rate of unemployment, and typically battles with the majority who are in dear need of education and awareness of their fundamental human rights. 

In summary, it is not too much to ask for one to sleep with their two eyes closed or to live in a country that has a working system that benefits all, and neither is it unjust to speak out when it hurts.

We hope you enjoyed this short read. Do leave a comment or share an experience.