The Nigerian dream on Buhari has become nightmare

BY ABDULLAHI MUHAMMED SALLAH

In 2003, President Muhammad Buhari started to contest for the presidential seat after having earlier led the country as an army general. In 2011 when he lost the presidential election to Goodluck Jonathan, he wept bitterly, saying his tears were for Nigerians.

In 2015, faithful Nigerians contributed to Buhari’s campaign with their hard-earned money and also came out massively to vote for him and he defeated Jonathan under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

After he was sworn into power, Nigerians believed that their votes had finally counted, with the hope that life would be easy for the common man and people would start to get a dividend of democracy, the child of nobody would become somebody and their lives would not be terrorised by Boko Haram insurgents, education would be free, the job would be available, infrastructure would be top-notch in all ramifications and Nigeria would get to the promised land.

Soon after Buhari assumed power, however, propaganda literally started to rain as the new government accused the old of having ruined everything in the country. That year, GDP growth was 2.79% which Nigeria never experienced since 1999.

In 2016, Nigerians expected to see positive change as a party “catchword”, thinking that the abnormalities of the previous administration. Yet, things kept degenerating. That year, annual GDP growth was -0.58%, with nothing increasing but decreasing, but a lot of people still hold on to hope.

In 2019, some people started seeing things differently and thinking that their hope for this administration would be a mirage. Even then, some people still kept hope alive. Buhari won re-election, but unknown to Nigerians, it was a victory that would take the country downhill.

In 2020, the world faced an epidemic called corona virus which touched on every country’s economic life. In that year, the Nigerian government received intervention even from nations and individuals to sustain its economic system. But the abnormalities that people experienced in the sharing of palliative measures made many realise that their hope in the ruling party is far-fetched.

However, it has to be said that Covid-19 intervention funds were disbursed adequately to the masses as a loan, for which the president deserves commendation.

But from last year till this moment, the people have realized that the Buhari of 2015 as well as the promises made by the APC government are not at par. The country has suffered from political propaganda. Education is far from what was expected, fuel scarcity has assumed a worse situation, despite the administration’s promise that fuel would sell for N50 at the worst. But the people have seen through the deceit and got wiser. NNPC has been privatised, despite promises not to do the same, and fuel now sells for N240 at the stations. The power grid has collapsed for the umpteenth time, insecurity has been on the increase and the life of the common man has become like a traveller in a desert with no water; to either survive or die except to be rescued through divine intervention. No one is sure anymore what tomorrow holds.

Sallah is a 300 level Mass Communication student at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger state