The shadow of doubt falls across the vicinity of our land. A once-powerful eagle now dawdles with clipped wings, uncertain of its promising ...
The shadow of doubt falls across the vicinity of our land. A once-powerful eagle now dawdles with clipped wings, uncertain of its promising destination. It is a wondrous feat whenever the blink of reality brings back the fact that we are still living in a democratic political system rather than a dictatorial one. Is this the Government duly elected by over 75 per cent of the citizens? Is this the Renewed Energy that the hungry hunter has been longing for? Even a single "yes" would feel like a rotten seed planted in the field of barren disbelief. For a Democratic Government won’t yield a result that would leave many with the feeling of seeing betterment in being disenfranchised than to quench the taste of their democracy. Is this the answer to the hungry hunter's desperate prayers? Is this the momentum we were led to believe in? Where are those promises in the pre-election serenades? Has the Nigeria of our dreams become a mirage?
The weight of these crucial questions, like a mortal hand,favour crumbled over our collective breath, hindering the very nose of our freedom. A sad breaking News to sight the wheels of our hard-won democracy careening towards a rotten way.
I can vividly recall the first days of this administration. My learning colleagues, Akilu Saadu and Sani Hamza, and I were discussing the conduct of the 2023 general election, the Presidential one to be precise. Was it free and fair or a stolen mandate brought with wheats? We deliberated on many issues and answered many questions raised. Then comes the question in challenge of our vote (to be sincere, I’m a Batist because my vote was among those counted in favor of the Bat). I responded with the very manifestos of the “Renewed Hope” mantra.
Funnily enough, I asked them whether they had ventured into the Asiwaju’s Filling Station and Renewed their hope for a better Nigeria? To cut the story short, we concluded the discussion with prayers for a “Renewed Nigeria” where life will be much easier.
This week, Akilu reminded me of our discussion, saying “Comrade, the fuel to renew the Asiwaju’s hope is now expensive”. I just had to bring up another topic to cover this.
I voted for the Bat because I foresaw him as the pillar upon which a better Nigeria would be built, a nation where opportunity flourished and dreams took flight. But the realities we face now are a stark betrayal of those aspirations. Our very dreams seem to be slipping through our grasp like sand through our fingers.
There's an urgent need to resuscitate the wheels of our democracy as the economy is on the brink of complete collapse, a stage where opportunities for a decent life become increasingly scarce. The government needs to recall its promises and ease the suffering of the people. A powerful voice from those in power not to speak only of matters that serve their own interests but for the general welfare of the people. I saw Nigeria stranded with tears tracing a path down her weathered cheeks. Are they tears of grief for a lost past, or the chilling fear of an uncertain future? The basic necessities of life, a morsel of food to fill her empty stomach, have become an unimaginable luxury. We must inveigh against these unfair circumstances.
Salisu Abdulazeez Lawal is a 200-level law student at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. A poet, a researcher, and a Clinician at the ABU Law Clinic. You can contact him at Abdulazeezsalisulawal@gmail.com or 08139952399
DISCLAIMER: The viewpoints and perspectives presented in this article are the exclusive opinions of the primary author and additional contributors. They may not align with the official policies or viewpoints of DAILY STRUGGLE.
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