A NATION IN RUINS: THE FOLLY OF APC’S LEADERSHIP.
Aare Amerijoye DOT.B.
A friend recently pointed out the echoes of the past in the songs of our musicians—songs that have long condemned the hardships in Nigeria, seeking a better life for its citizens. He suggested that this continuous demand implies that Nigeria’s situation has always been precarious, regardless of the government in power. This is nothing but a fallacy, an erroneous comparison that attempts to mask the glaring failures of the current Tinubu-led APC government by equating them with the challenges of the past. The truth, however, is far more damning.
Let us not be deceived by the nostalgic tunes of the past. Musicians sang about the struggles of Nigerians in the 60s and 70s, a time when the Naira was stronger than the dollar and two Naira equaled one pound. Yet, these were the years when a bag of cement cost between ₦38 to ₦150. Today, under the so-called leadership of the APC, that same bag of cement costs a staggering ₦12,000 to ₦14,000, depending on where you are. The comparison is not just flawed—it is offensive.
In the 80s and 90s, our musicians continued to demand better governance. They sang against the military regimes, condemning the corruption and mismanagement that plagued the nation. But even then, the cost of living, while challenging, was not the life-threatening ordeal it has become today. A bag of rice sold for ₦7,500 to ₦8,500 in 2015, under the PDP, and now, in the hands of the APC, the price has soared to an unbearable ₦75,000 to ₦80,000, depending on the brand. The Naira has been reduced to a mere shadow of its former self, almost worthless in the global market.
The situation today is beyond comparison with the past. The APC’s leadership has taken Nigeria to the brink of collapse. To justify this misery by claiming that Nigerians have always suffered is to mock the real pain and suffering that millions of Nigerians are enduring under the Tinubu administration. It is akin to putting lipstick on a pig, an attempt to beautify the grotesque reality of life under this government.
Sarah Orne Jewett once remarked, *”Don’t hurry to believe something just because everyone else does.”* The APC wants us to believe that the suffering of today is no different from the past. But that is a blatant lie. The party that once promised change has delivered nothing but despair, and the gap between their promises and their actions is as wide as the ocean.
Felix Rohatyn, a prominent economist, once said, *”In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”* It is this silence that the APC hopes to maintain by drawing false parallels between the present and the past. But silence in the face of such evident suffering is complicity. We must speak out against the gross mismanagement and the ineptitude that has characterized the APC government.
As we endure these dark times, let us not forget the wisdom of Max Ehrmann, who advised, *”Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.”* But in this context, the peace of silence is not an option. The noise of the people’s suffering is deafening, and it is a noise that must be heard, not ignored.
Finally, consider the words of Helena Morley, who observed, *”The world is full of people who have never, since childhood, met an open doorway with an open mind.”* The APC government has slammed shut every open doorway, every possibility for a better life, and has done so with a mind closed to the suffering of the people.
The comparison between the present and the past is not just an oversimplification—it is a calculated deception. The reality is that under the APC, Nigerians are facing unprecedented hardship. This is not the Nigeria that our musicians sang about, nor is it the Nigeria we deserve. The current situation is a direct result of failed leadership, and it is time we recognize it as such.
The Tinubu-led APC government has not only failed to deliver on its promises but has also succeeded in creating a Nigeria where survival, not living, is the daily struggle. It is a government that deserves not just criticism but outright condemnation, for it has turned the hopes and dreams of millions into ashes.
Aare Amerijoye DOT.B.
Chairman,The Narrative Force.
