After the Covid19 pandemic, the world plunged into a new economic reset. Some countries have been able to recalibrate and convert their share of pains during the global health crisis into substantial and palpable economic gains through people-centric policies. Many other nations are still currently struggling to return to normalcy and some others have been rendered far worse off compared to their pre-COVID states.
There is no evidence to think that Nigeria has not been made far worse off. In fact, it has been a rollercoaster of economic hardships in the country since the global health crisis. The last six months in the country have been different episodes of untold hardship on the people. From the Naira crunch saga to the outright removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the Naira, the strain in the country has been rising in fearsome crescendo on a daily basis. So many Nigerians have been hard pressed and those lethally grappling for breadth are further pressed into the dust by the institutions of Government that are supposed to provide them with succor.
The purchasing power parity of the country continues to be battered by a stubborn inflation. There has been an insurgence of what Karl Marx calls the pauperization of the working class at the different sectors of the nation’s economy. The continuous widening of the gap between the capitalist and the working class ushers many small and medium scale enterprises out of business and many workers out of their paid jobs.
Consequently, many young individuals who had hitherto been independent and managed to support their families of orientation had to go back to their parents and become dependent children again because they could no longer have their jobs and fend for themselves. Some of these Nigerian youths have resorted to crimes and prostitution to keep their statuses and save themselves of the embarrassment of having to return home with nothing. Some don’t even have a home to return to. Some could not resist the suicidal thought that evoked in them due to the economic quagmire.
The incidence of brain-drain or the Japa syndrome in the country also lends credence to the existence of a social problem in the country. It is sad to see many Nigerian youths leave the country in drones on a daily basis. The words of President Tinubu, “Let the Poor breadth” have been quite apt. The words describe the dire state of many people in the country. These words have become a catchphrase that surfaces in most discussions of the policies and activities of the government across the social media platforms.
Towards ensuring Nigeria becomes a hospitable state for her citizens and a nation where everyone and anyone can breadth an air of hope, peace, tranquility and equanimity, there is no doubt that both the government and the governed have critical roles to play. While the government can and must do better in terms of making and implementing policies that are issues-based and people-focused, the people must be more attuned to their civic responsibilities. Also, the media and civil society organizations must intensify efforts towards ensuring the values of honor are spread across the society.
We must be one another’s keeper and do away with selfish interests that have divided us for too long. We must begin to promote and entrench social values such as empathy, mutual trust and compassion in our day-to-day lives. It is believed that when the privileged among us begin to see themselves as the protectors of the less privileged, Nigeria could be made to open a new vista of economic opportunities that culminate in social happiness. Further insights on how this could be achieved are given by Professor Oka Obono of the department of Sociology, University of Ibadan in our previous article here:
