Emmanuel Awoko

Recently, a video of a young lady who is a 300-level student from the Department of Biology Education, University of Lagos, stormed the internet. The video is a revelation of the kind of economically austere lifestyle she seems to be stuck in. As long as emotions can attract empathy to her, her plight is an outright disclosure of a sadder reality that she is not the only one living this kind of hard life. Beyond Nigeria, people also live in slums. In fact, the narratives of some people from birth till death revolved around the cycle of slums, and wretched lifestyles.

We may obviously claim that every glory must come from a story, and to this, our major concern or priority is to preach the message of hope as we always do. Coincidentally, the seasonal state of Nigeria at the moment is running under a mandate called ‘Renewed Hope.’ Time will not permit an exegesis on what hope means but alternatively, semantics can use expectation as a synonym for it. Hence, hope is expectation, but what exactly are we hoping for or expecting?

For the celebration atmosphere of Democracy Day, June 12 a day to remember, and a moment to observe; of which this year’s own appears special with the marking of 25th years of uninterrupted practice of democracy. It is commendable indeed even with the drama attached to different scenes of the day. If we have to talk about the placards, banners, stunning graphics, congratulatory, and celebration wishes, we may assume that all is fine with everyone. Sadly enough, democracy is supposed to mark freedom for all instead, it has introduced fear and pessimism in the last few years. 

Now to business, to many, the situation of the country is still a cruise. To an extent, sad and/or serious occurrences of national concern become inspirations for comedic content such as social media memes. This reality has so much clouded individual eyes, and mode of thinking to examine issues beyond the horizon of fun. Truthfully, humour is good but in some contexts, the six sensual organs should be put to proper use. Starting with the eyes, we should see right, then to the nose, we should smell well, and to the mouth, we have tasted so much of pain, also to touch and hearing, we have felt, and heard good and bad situations. As a crown, the sixth sense also needs to be well coordinated to process and deliver meaningful content instead of sensational and momentary cruises.

It is grossly deficient that we keep on watching the cost of education increase astronomically in federal institutions which are even supposed to be pocket-friendly. Perhaps, we all have no choice because the majority have embraced it while their voice is being silenced. With my introductory analogy, imagine Aminat paying such a huge amount with the despicable state of her livelihood. Power is limited but why do people in power still keep cheating us? Democracy has permitted everyone to vote for the candidate of their choice but sadly enough, elected officials are the ones who impose heavy taxes on the minority who placed them in power. Little can be said because it seems that the word Democracy today has been manipulated and potentially drained of its strength. Emphatically, the celebration of democracy would have been more appreciated if the country, Nigeria, could work on the sphere that majorly borns the future leaders of tomorrow. At least, if something good were to be said of Nigeria, Free Education, if achieved, would be a good subject instead of the consistent attachment to fraud and corruption.

Aside from the exorbitant cost of education, it is also a disappointing reality to reference the state of the country’s economy. The situation for students has become very porous to the extent that no amount of money sent from home can sustain a student for the period of a month. It is so sad that we all think the collection of loans to secure studentship is the way out even when there are no signs of employment in the long run. Majority of students nowadays have been converted to petty or advanced beggars who hide under the guise of billing for survival. Although not everyone bills, the ones who do not probably have assured hope of finance, or are cutting corners for petty jobs to make ends meet. Aminat is a typical example of someone who fends for daily survival as a student and also a person. Meanwhile, hardship continues to gain relevance and prominence in a country where rulers are elected through democratic process. 

Not denying that some existential, lingering problems were inherited by the new administration, we need to ask questions such as what really happened to the promises that are contained in politicians’ manifestos. Were they all propagandas? Why does the economy keep failing aggressively? Or why is the exchange rate of Nigerian currency even that low? Aforementioned situations have narrated the majority of our ordeals nevertheless, there are still some that cannot be expressed. Democracy can absolutely not be tagged a failure for the fact that people can choose candidates of their choice whether blindly or with eyes wide open in a democracy. Moreover, with every four years countdown, our hope keeps rising, but the reverse is always the case with the outcome that we have seen in the past 25 years of the practice of democracy. Situations keep getting worse every day, but we only find joy in silence while we suffer undeservedly. 

According to the Nigerian Constitution, the welfare of the people is a primary mandate of the government. To this, we cannot claim total failure, yet it is indisputable that the government has not attended to 70% of the needs of citizens considering the rate of mortality. The state of the nation is therefore a noble call to the masses that Nigeria’s democracy needs to retrace its steps to the modality that formed the concept of a true democracy. Democracy is not solely about how long we have practiced it nor is it about the dearth of military interference, but a call to responsibility to address salient issues that are heavily eating up the country. As noteworthy as the restoration of the Nigeria anthem is, ‘’Arise O’compatriot’’ is still a line whose potency should not be traded for any other business.