In a previous article titled Inside Tinubu’s Republic of Hunger on July 12, 2024, we highlighted the crushing reality of poverty and hunger Nigerians face. Across major cities, failed roads are now occupied by women and children begging for food. In Lagos, men have joined these groups, holding signs that read Ebin pa wa ,we are dying of hunger.This scene isn't exclusive to Lagos. Across the North, South-East, and South-South, beggars have taken over public places. The article summarized that poverty and hunger have become the unfortunate unifying factors for Nigerians.
A follow-up article, Welcome to the Feudal Republic of Nigeria, on August 2, 2024, pointed out how the poorly designed policies of the current government have pushed citizens to the edge. These policies have widened the gap between the rich and the poor, causing hyperinflation, unemployment, and a worsening naira value. Even multinationals are fleeing the country. A Guardian report from December 21, 2023, showed that while the government approved N800 for feeding security dogs and N750 for prison inmates daily, the average Nigerian survives on far less.
The images of citizens queueing for discounted food at government centers reflect the dehumanizing reality of life in Nigeria today. At Ojodu Grammar School in Ikeja, Lagos, families wait for hours every Sunday to purchase a 5kg bag of rice for N5,625, 5kg of beans for N9,300, a crate of eggs for N3,450, and 1kg of tomatoes for N670. The limit on purchases means entire families must show up to buy enough to survive.
These scenes are reminiscent of the relief lines during the Nigerian Civil War when, as a child, I stood in lines for rations to survive the economic blockade of Biafra. But Nigeria isn’t at war today, nor is there a natural disaster. This suffering is purely the result of leadership failure. As my colleague Ikechukwu Amaechi pointed out in As Tinubu’s Government Weaponizes Poverty, the government’s policies seem crafted to ensure that the poor get poorer while the wealthy flourish.
This system resembles something out of Joseph Stalin’s playbook of manipulation and control. Stalin once demonstrated how easily people could be controlled by plucking a live chicken and feeding it after. Our leaders seem to have adopted this mindset, offering so-called palliatives and discounts while enjoying luxury, indifferent to the suffering of the masses.
Incidents like the death of nine people in Sokoto during a Sallah palliative scramble in April 2024 and the tragic stampede in Bauchi during a Zakat distribution, killing seven females, are stark reminders of the extreme conditions Nigerians face. The government’s response has been deafening silence.
President Tinubu recently declared in Beijing that he was ready to take harder decisions to move the country forward. While his intent may seem patriotic on the surface, it must come with a human face. These hard decisions are crushing the average Nigerian. The recent hike in petrol prices from N617/litre to N900/litre has sent food prices skyrocketing. A bag of rice now costs N95,000, up from N85,000, with no relief in sight.
Nigerians are in dire straits, and their cries of hunger have become a national anthem. The big question is, How long can this last? There’s no hope in sight, and governance should be about providing hope. It's time to tell the president the hard truth: this arrangement is not sustainable.