Generally, the socio-political atmosphere of the African continent is such which attracts attention of the rest of the world. Perhaps, because of its historical perspectives or the antecedent events. More often than not, these are considered unpalatable due to the quality of life of the inhabitants of the rich continent despite its enormous natural resources and the human capital. Perhaps, the great potential and enormous opportunities abundant in Africa, which the ‘outsiders’ see make them seek the black continent. However, Nigeria is often referred to as the giant of Africa And regardless of her challenges and trials, the country is truly blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Hence, the significance and economic importance of Nigeria as the seventh-most-populous country in the world, according to the review of the IMF of 2015 and the most populous black African nation in the world, according to the research documents of World Population Review of 2021, cannot be denied. Rated as one of the most linguistically diverse country in the world, Nigeria is a large and complex country, with much internal variation with over 450 indigenous languages.
The main divide separating the North from the South may have been brought about by Nigerians themselves. Although this had been earlier initiated by the colonial rulers who divided the country into regions, this further made the divide between the country’s south and north very conspicuous. But this divide is not only due to the above-highlighted linguistic and/or historical factors alone, it is also based on religious, economic, environmental, cultural, and political differences, which exist between the two regions. Thus, any subject or topic about Nigeria should be of interest, not only to all of Africa, but also, to the rest of the world.
Perhaps, this could be the reason why Nigeria has been referred to as the giant of Africa.
As the 2023 elections draw near, the political atmosphere of the Nigerian society is becoming quite tense. The northern political gladiators and their southern counterparts are already engaging in a political war of words over which region should inherit power in the coming general elections. Moreover, the two major political parties; the Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress have also been dramatic in their engagements in different fora (which include the various social media platforms) on issues relating to the forthcoming elections. However, the scorecard of the current APC regime has not been quite impressive. But despite the obvious, certain party members and party leaders, as well as the supporters of those who are in power, have scored the administration high across the board praising the President for all the ‘great achievements’ in the past six years of assuming office. Some other members of the same party are not as bold as to claim that the current regime has done well, rather, they outright blame the non-performance of the current regime on the past administration of the Peoples Democratic Party.
In actual fact, the past six years have been rough for all and sundry in Nigeria. Moreover, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic made the situation go from bad to worse. Apart from the fact that the Nigerian economy has been badly managed, even the high rate of depletion of oil reserves worldwide is a cause for worry; the relationship of naira to dollar is at its lowest ebb ever, food security is greatly threatened, and unemployment rate now stands at 33% (according to Statista research document published in 2022)! As of September 2021, Nigeria’s external debt reached USD38.0bn. Despite the debilitating debt profile, the country struggles amidst uncertainties while the infrastructure remains in a state of comatose. The question remains, why is the impact of these humongous borrowings not visible for all to see?
The Nigerian health sector is a disaster. While the leaders are quick to travel abroad for their medicals with the taxpayers’ money, the government hospitals are mostly unequipped and the health workers are poorly remunerated. Nigeria is one of the very few countries in the world where health workers regularly embark on strike actions, either because of the arrears owed by the government or because of the poor conditions of their workplace (i.e. dilapidated hospital facilities and outdated medical equipment). According to the 2019 research reviews by Statista, Nigeria has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, with neonatal disorder standing at 25.27%, diarrhoeal diseases at 17.14/%, lower respiratory infection at 16.74%, malaria at 12.37% and meningitis at 4.23%, among other health conditions in infants and children. Moreover, as of 2015, according to the World Health Organisation, Nigeria’s estimated maternal mortality ratio was over 800 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, with approximately 58,000 maternal deaths during that year. Interestingly, it is usually the information of the poor masses that constitute the statistics for all of the above figures.
Furthermore, the current plague of rising insecurity, in Nigeria, more especially in the northern region, has assumed a dangerous dimension that threatens the country’s entire existence. From the boom witnessed in ritual killings, Internet fraud, armed robbery, religious crisis, communal and cult-related clashes through to child molestations, kidnapping, banditry and terrorism, in all ramifications, the crisis has assumed a frightening dimension threatening the very foundation of the existence of the entire population. Almost on a daily basis, there are always reported cases of abduction of innocent citizens. And oftentimes, the victims are killed by their abductors despite paying ransoms! The northeastern part of the country can be said to be becoming a safe haven for ISWAP-Boko Haram terrorists who are determined to establish their Islamic caliphate in the region. Many local government areas in Borno State, for example, have suffered a great deal in the hands of the terrorists. Moreover, the violent terrorist insurgence has proliferated in the direction of the North-West and North-Central as Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger, Benue and Plateau States have been in the news lately because of violent insurgence by ISWAP-Boko Haram terrorists who are trying to capture and control communities in those states.
There has a growing wave of fuel scarcity in many parts of the country. No one knows for how long this may persist. The reason for the new development has been said to be due to the importation of adulterated fuel into the country! The questions are; what is the sole responsibility of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, which replaced the defunct Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency? How is this agency faring in monitoring and enforcing compliance in the nation’s downstream sector? The fact that the nation has degenerated to this level should really be worrisome. Why is it so difficult to embark on industrialisation with the aim of constructing new refineries rather than importing and distributing poor quality products?
With all of these issues at hand and the anticipation of the 2023 general elections, one may begin to wonder how the country plans to navigate through the current economic hardship and the spate of insecurity in the country. But the main question is, what will a country that is heavily pregnant with incessant security challenges staggering towards a general election in 2023 give birth to?
On this final note, with the uncertainties diffusing the political atmosphere of the Nigerian state, the present leadership should take a step back and do a critical assessment or analysis of the current situation rather than being overzealous about the 2023 general election. This is a high-risk oblivion that may be too costly for the future of the fragile giant of Africa.
Adeparusi, an independent researcher in international criminology, wrote in from London via [email protected]
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