therefore the dimension of mass poverty in
shocking. Many citizens of
cannot afford to live a decent life. Several millions of Nigerians do not have
the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or materials possessions. Only
a few people are comfortable. The situation is very demoralizing and still
there are worse things that define the intensity and seriousness of mass
poverty in
The Nigerian masses and elites cannot travel on safe roads. The masses are more
affected because there is constant chaos in the public transportation methods.
The conditions are dehumanising to say the least.The situation is made worse
because of the absence of basic infrastructure of life. It doesn’t seem
that successive governments in
are involved in providing houses for masses in
states governments have been involved in building houses that are affordable by
the few and more privileged persons, the elites. Beyond the textbook editions
or verbal policy, what are the roles of the Ministry of Housing? The masses are
invariably always out of the poverty alleviation or eradication question.
Commonly, drinking water does not
flow in Nigerian homes. People have to buy water as many bore holes have run
dry and the public taps have virtually disappeared. You begin to wonder what
the functions of the Water Corporation are. Even cities like
that is lineated by the
number of internal lagoons cannot get water to its inhabitants. Yet, every election
year the people receive promises from desperate politicians that they will be
provided with water. Lies upon deceits you may say.
There is nothing more serious to express
the physical mass poverty in
than the prevalence of hunger. Food substances are the cheapest things you can
lay your hands on in some other countries. In
are now very expensive and many people have devised different formula to
survive daily, weekly or monthly. Stepping into a new year is seen as a miracle
in
What is the significance of the Agriculture Ministry when there are no clear
policies on how to put food on the (dining) table of the masses? To what use
are the vast fertile lands across the length and breadth of
and housing are 3 important parameters to measure the values of our lives and
these things have become elusive to the masses in Nigerians. However, mass
poverty in
has other ugly faces. For example, the purchasing power of the Naira is extremely
weak. In some very bad situations, some people do not have money at all.
The overall consequences of
irresponsible governance are diverse. Quickly, some of these things have spiral
effects and these have obviously spun down to the upcoming generations. For
example as a result of the range of extreme want of necessities and the absence
of material comforts, the children of the masses no longer have access to
quality education. They do not have adequate recreational facilities and their
social orientations are falsely modified by various things around them and
those that they are unduly exposed to. What is going on daily in
way of life shows very sorry states of things. It was not even that bad 10
years ago.
In place of studying hard for examinations
or challenges, people are now stereotyped that they can always cut corners as
typically exemplified by the widely condemned and shameful selections
(there were no elections) of 2007. They are suffering from the irresponsible
governance of good knowledge and many have completely lost hope in the system
that begot them. Irresponsible governance can also result from
high rate of unemployment. There has been an upsurge in armed robbery in
recent years. It is not uncommon to find school drop outs and unemployed
graduates among the criminals who have become very merciless in their
operations. In addition to this, it was a rude shock for me to discover
recently that many primary school and secondary students now have some form of
allegiance to other persons in their localities or areas. I could not believe
that secret cults are no longer secrets.
True stories have been told how some young
people have been killed by what seemed like cults activities in broad day
lights. I was told that some were shots dead in unsuccessful robbery operations
at other places. These stories are told nowadays like “it’s one of those things”.
Things have really gone from bad to worse. Many years ago in
emphasis was on academic excellence and sporting activities at leisure.
Indeed, things have changed and very worryingly too. Could all these be due to
the spiral effect of poverty in action? What role does government play in other
neglected aspects of our lives?
I know that a few people consider
my stance very hard and extreme but they are mistaken. As a matter of fact,
living abroad does not mean that one has escaped the poverty in
time I find myself in
I still find myself living the life I’ve always lived before I travelled out. I
go to the same places that I know and the conditions are very bad. I go to
places like Oshodi, Mile 2, Ojuelegba, Agboju, Okokomaiko and other areas like
Mushin, what I see is poverty and suffering like I’ve always known. I see the
struggle called Life and I live it too. My lucky friends and some other lucky
people who work in Banks and oil companies no longer share my views. They have
forgotten that
is big and that majority of the people are still living below the irresponsible
governance line. They think that other people are lazy or destined to be
poor maybe!
My personal experiences and
observations showed that mass poverty accelerated by absolute rot of governance
over the years may have taken its toll on virtually all aspects of the Nigerian
life and the issue cannot be treated in one piece of writing or essay. It will
be interesting to see how the issue of mass poverty will be tackle by a new and
legitimate government in
Ordinary Nigerians (especially those who cannot treat their leg ache, head ache
and stomach ache abroad) have gone through a lot of life excruciating and
traumatic experiences especially in the last 8 years when all the hopes raised
at the onset of the new found democracy were suddenly and completely dashed.
The Nigerian masses are obviously suffering from poverty inflicted on them
mainly by very bad governance but they are not dimmed and they should not be
taken as fools because the resiliency in the typical Nigerian is simply a focal
indicator of hope for a brighter day and a better tomorrow.
