Prime Minister Winston Churchill concluded after rebuilding Britain’s House of Commons bombed during the Second World War, saying, ‘We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us’. This comes on the heels of the various comments concerning the economic status of our beloved country. It’s often said that your pet dog answers you by the name you give it. Poor people exist all over the world, whether in developed or developing countries. That doesn’t mean that poverty is a blessing or that God has purposely made some of her children poor. So many circumstances, conditions, and environmental hazards contribute to making some people poor. Notwithstanding, a lot of people would hardly accept poverty, even when they could hardly eat. Conversely, it does seem that Nigeria revamps its status as “a poor country.”.
The presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, had explained that the wealth of Nigeria is overestimated. The renowned economist and governor of Anambra State, Prof. C. C. Soludo, had supported the claim that Nigeria is a very poor country. And recently, the president himself, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has come out to say that Nigeria is not the only poor country in the world. African countries are home to a large proportion of the world’s poorest people, with many of them facing economic, political, and social challenges. The poorest people in the world in terms of standard of living are in Africa. Most people in Africa lack access to basic services like sanitation, education, and health care. The poorest countries in Africa include Burundi, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, the DR Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau. These countries struggle with high levels of poverty and inequality. Many in these countries face poverty, malnutrition, disease, and political instability.
“The national cake shared amongst politicians is enough to turn every citizen rich, create a functional society with basic amenities, and make the country a wealthy nation.”
Most of these poorest countries have one or two things in common with Nigeria: civil war, conflicts, deposits of solid mineral resources, and political instability. Yet they have a very small population and a GDP of $300–$900 million. A neighbouring country like Niger is, at the same time, terrorised by the activities of Boko Haram. Some of the challenges that prevented these nations from achieving economic growth and improving the living standards of their people are what Nigeria faced in 2015.
In the 1980s, a Nigerian with a school certificate and O’ level qualifications could get a good job and take care of his welfare. Despite the military dictatorship, embezzlement, and looting, a Nigerian graduate has the assurance of a profitable job with a car and house allowance. We heard for the first time that the federal government may not be able to pay salaries after a few years of the Muhammad Buhari administration. Then, between 2018 and 2022, Nigeria started receiving a World Bank Assurance Report on the sluggish economic growth, low human capital, labour market weaknesses, lack of access to education, clean water, sanitation, and hunger in the country. Not just the National Bureau of Statistics, reports kept coming about millions of Nigerians in multi-dimensional poverty status.
In 2023, the World Poverty Clock included Nigeria among nations with a greater number of poor people, exceeding 70 million. Of course, criticism and complaints cannot make many people happy, but everyone is complaining. Nigerians grumble, gripe, and complain, knowing fully that their hardship and suffering are man-made and artificial, which in turn affects their attitude and outlook. Judging Nigeria as a poor country with a debt profile of over N100 trillion accumulated in six years, the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, is meant to forfeit property worth N12 billion, and the population of the entire country is just 200 million. The crude oil theft runs in billions of naira under the special Bonny crude. The vast arable land of the North is under siege due to insecurity, causing food price inflation. There are other rich mineral deposits, gas, and other materials in various places in the country that may not be accounted for.
Economists and leaders all over the world put their heads together to fight poverty and end hardship. The United Nations defines poverty as a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. A country where rules and by-laws are neglected, allowing the rich and mighty to do whatever pleases them, would not only have poor citizens but would also become a poor country. It’s often said that the government, NGOs, and international organisations are making efforts to tackle poverty in poor African countries, but these efforts are often sabotaged. As Nigerians pray to finish a season of hardships well, they are reminded that no condition is permanent and that human or political power is transient.
Nigerians would not let anyone bamboozle them with distortions and half-truths. The national cake shared amongst politicians is enough to turn every citizen rich, create a functional society with basic amenities, and make the country a wealthy nation. Joy fades, hopes dim, purposes are disappointed, there’s an overwhelming sense of failure, and life seems over to many, but we are not giving up. In spite of the ever-increasing suicide rates, the mental health crisis, and the frightening divorce statistics being reported all over the country, Nigerians are optimistic.
Just as on June 19, 1865, Union army general Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and demanded that all enslaved persons be released, so would be the joy of many Nigerians when a new Nigeria frees them from the present bondage. It’s hard to trust the government or journalists. Employees hardly trust employers. Customers don’t trust businesses, and we don’t even trust weather reports in Nigeria, but freedom would come at last. Nigerians suffer hardships and experience sorrows and griefs, but they can never be acquainted with or intimate with them. That’s just a panacea!
Obiotika Wilfred Toochukwu; St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Awgbu.
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