Current Hardship In Nigeria: The Unpleasant Danger Sign -By Nasir Yusuf Jibril

With the current untold hardship situation of hunger, economic and social challenges faced by low income earners, vulnerable person, and less privilege people in our society. If care is not taking, it will take us back to square one. I mean back to insecurity and crises above or worst than what we have experienced or experiencing. God forbit!

As a human being weather you’re in upper or lower class status, food occupies prime position in the hierarchy of your basic needs. Because human survive first before he/she can effectively mobilize resources to built shelter, or rent house and clothe him/her self.

The rapid inflation of commodities, essential goods, especially food stuff which is one among the basic needs of common individual, was not a blessed to the economy and security of the nation.
For instance maize, which is one among the food stuff usually common people consumed, currently the cost of maize in the market is not affordable to low income earners!
Also everything triple it price and food has become hot cake to lower class citizen!

In a mini research which I conducted in my locality, Demsawo area of Doubeli ward, Jimeta. Almost 70% of people are living below two square meal per day, and the little meal they have was not standard talkless balancing their diet.

As a result of this economic hardship, many Nigerians especially Youth and small scale business owners are in risk of losing their jobs or daily bread work.
For instance transport sector. With the recent fuel subsidy removal, tricycle riders and commercial drivers here in Yola lament low patronage.
Some of them suspended their activities because of the situation.
Similarly when we look at the education sector, with the recent increment of universities fees, forced many vulnerable Nigerians suspending their academic activities.
That is how the story is in different social aspect of, less privilege citizen of this country.

If things continue unfavouring these lower class people, definitely there’s high possiblity the of serious violent conflict, which in turn everybody will suffer the consequences regardless of class status.

Hajara Umar Sanda in her book, ‘selected themes in specialized reporting’ quoted Ibrahim and Nguro in their article, while discussing the repercussions of violent conflict, the scholars submitted that violent conflicts severely compromise the skills and assets that are essential to living a productive life and discourage planning and investment opportunities, thereby leading to acute poverty. According to them, areas experiencing high rates of violent conflicts tend to experience declining levels of progress concerning human development, as measured by poverty and high rates of unemployment and hunger.

Furthermore, Pate (2013) also coroborated the positions of those scholars where he indicates that after each round of a violent clash in any part of Nigeria, the country becomes poorer, its image gets messier, hatred and feelings increase among the people and feelings of animosity envelop the land. He added that long-standing relationships are destroyed and the entire process of development is arrested and that the country and its people become collective victims, as millions are displaced in their own towns.

Let Government, business tycoons, religious leaders as well as general masses be caution and have it at the back of their mind that “War or crises know none”. As wise says “A person may not appreciate the value of peace until he/she experience war”.

We have seen how such kind of untold hardship of hunger and social challenges turned many countries to miserable life.

What needed to be done to ease this hardship…!?

Government should provide a policy to companies operating in Nigeria to own a farmland and plant their goods for their usage.

Example, Savannah sugar Company, which was located in Numan local government area of Adamawa State, own their farmland and also plant sugarcane for their usage.

I believe if Savannah sugar Company was fully depended on commercial /subsistence farmers, common citizen would have not enjoy the affordability and availability of sugarcane!

Government should put subsidy on essential goods and strengthen the restriction of food stuff exportation.

Religious leaders should call on their followers, to be offering special prayers at their various worshipping places, as its done during Boko Haram insurgency and global coronavirus pandemic.

Business owners need to consider the threat that is associated with the current situation to minimize profit rather than maximizing for the benefit of the masses and country at large.

Philanthropist and other wealthy individuals should invest more in assisting less privilege and people in needy.

It is high time for Nigerians to quite careless attitude toward issues and faced the realities. Wise says “no place like home”

With the above discussion, I do believe if Nigerians both rules and the rulers will put interest of the country first, at the expense of their personal interest! And also do everything possible at every level to ensure that normalcy is restored in the country, by the will of almighty things will return to normal.

Nasir Yusuf Jibril, Yola.
Mass Communication Department, Bayero University, Kano.
nasirjibril2018@gmail.com