It is another Valentine’s Day and as people are celebrating love, many Nigerians are marking the day in an entirely different mood.
While lovers give and receive gifts, and partners reflect on the strength and value of their relationships, Development Diaries looks at the relationship between Nigeria and her citizens; between President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians.
President Buhari is getting set to complete his eight-year tenure in office and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we have identified five ways the president has shown love to Nigerians.
Naira scarcity
President Buhari approved the naira redesign to help curb money laundering and make digital payments the norm in Nigeria.
However, Nigerians are currently faced with hardship caused by the scarcity of redesigned naira notes.
The government can show true love to its citizens by ensuring more new notes are printed and circulated so that citizens can have access to their money.
Fuel scarcity
Before his assumption of office in 2015, Buhari promised to revamp Nigeria’s refineries.
Alas, almost eight years later, the country has continued to import Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
Nigerians frequently spend hours at fuel stations due to the scarcity of petrol. This frustration from the non-availability of petrol has led many citizens to be left with no other choice but to buy the product from roadside sellers, spending a tad higher than the usual pump price.
The government of Nigeria can show true love to its citizens by ensuring local refineries work, as this would help meet the country’s petrol demand.
Insecurity
During his campaign to become president, Buhari vowed to end Nigeria’s security challenges.
Well, it is almost eight years since he assumed office as Nigeria’s commander-in-chief and more Nigerians are now prayer warriors as a result of insecurity.
Some citizens can no longer sleep with both eyes closed in the country for fear of bandits or unknown gunmen attacking them.
The government can show true love to its citizens by ensuring their protection at all times.
Epileptic power supply
In March 2016, President Buhari said his administration had set a target of delivering 10,000 megawatts of electricity generation in the next three years.
‘Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put things right’, he promised while addressing the National Economic Council retreat held in Abuja.
However, Nigeria has the lowest access to electricity globally, with about 92 million persons out of the country’s 200 million population lacking access to power, according to the Energy Progress Report 2022.
Also, Nigerians have been made to bear the burden of consistent increases in tariffs over the years, coupled with the constant collapse of the national grid.
Finding a sustainable solution to the epileptic power supply would be a fantastic way to show true love to the citizens of Nigeria.
Nigeria can take a cue from Zambia, where power cuts have become a thing of the past due to its robust hydraulic and solar power generation industry.
Education
President Buhari, in July 2021, promised that his administration would allocate an increasing share of resources to improve learning in Nigeria.
The president, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said improving the quality of education will continue to be his government’s priority.
But recent figures from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) reveal that Nigeria’s out-of-school children now amount to 20 million.
Available statistics also show that the budgetary allocation for education reduced over the last eight years, with the children of average Nigerians and the underprivileged bearing the brunt for no fault of theirs.
Finding a lasting solution to the country’s challenges in the education sector, including working with state governors to reduce the number of out-of-school children, would be a demonstration of true love.
Photo source: Muhammadu Buhari
