Haunted by ghosts of hardship and failed leadership

Two ghosts have haunted Nigeria over the past two years. The first is economic hardship, worsened by poor policy. The second is a crisis of governance, one that shakes public confidence and casts doubt on the legitimacy of the administration. But instead of reflecting on the affliction, they feel that adopting a one-party system will cast out these ghosts.

In just two years, the Tinubu administration has dug Nigeria exponentially deeper into the hole of decline. It is as though we are watching a young woman breathe her last—each gasp slower than the last, family watching helplessly, clinging to memories of better days. Once, we hoped. Then came failure. Now, there is only survival.

We can all agree that the rot did not begin with Tinubu. Buhari dug Nigeria into ‘this hole of decline.’ But Tinubu has taken the shovel and gone deeper. He scrapped the fuel subsidy on his inauguration day and unified the exchange rate a few days later. He declared these moves bold. He refused any research-informed, evidence-based and data-driven strategic advice.

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What followed was hardship and hopelessness. The currency fell. Inflation skyrocketed. Food prices soared. No structured, systematic, credible plan was offered to manage the pain. A ghost now haunts not just the policymakers, but the millions who suffer daily. The same ghost continues to haunt the government, as it implements other harmful policies to offset the chaos these policies are causing.

Government officials claim that these reforms will yield results. The World Bank issues cautious optimism. Surveys talk of resilience. But the mood in the streets says otherwise. Nigerians feel worse off, and they are right to feel so. The hardship is not theoretical. It is real, lived and visible.

Instead of governance, people are offered political slogans. Instead of responsibility, we are given excuses. Tinubu’s camp blames Buhari and other imaginary cabals. Ministers blame “global headwinds.” But who governs now?

One does not have to look far. The charade orchestrated by the APC leaders to endorse Tinubu is one scary example. This is less than two years into his presidency, a time expected of anyone to showcase the outcomes of his policies. Worryingly, the president has chosen to end governance at the expense of campaigning for 2027. All failures of this administration have been pushed onto the previous one. The administrators take no responsibility.

Boko Haram terrorists were wreaking havoc in Borno State. Similarly, residents in some communities in Zamfara State are no longer sleeping in their homes at night due to terror attacks. Communities have been sacked, barracks burnt, soldiers killed, and civilians massacred. The suffering is no longer intangible; the fingerprints of these tangible, harmful contributors are evident. But they are not willing to acknowledge this in any way.

One may understand if the politicking was only happening in the southern part of the country. But it is surprising to see the APC North West governors and leaders joining hands to endorse Tinubu as insecurity continues to fester in the region. None of these people from the North seems to care about Borno, Plateau, Benue, Katsina or Zamfara.

Surely, a ghost has possessed them all. This is what bad governance looks like. Not just in policies, but in silence. In complicity.

Nigeria now resembles a fruit left too long on the shelf. The rot began within, but now the stench is everywhere. The signs were there before Tinubu, but now they are undeniable.

The idea of the future once inspired. It kept people going. But the younger generation now sees little worth striving for. Why participate in a system that no longer even pretends to offer a future?

This is not just about inflation or insecurity. It is about the destruction of shared dreams. Nigeria was never only a place. Nigeria was a project of diverse peoples agreeing to pursue common goals. That agreement is weakening. What we now have is a zero-sum scramble. Any person’s gain is at the expense of another person’s loss.

We once dreamed of building something bigger—from agriculture and manufacturing to construction and the arts and crafts. Now, we are in a Mad Max country. But instead of cool desert car fights with Mel Gibson, we fight over rice, spaghetti and bread.

The endless government initiatives are failing because they lack structure, information and order. The decay will only worsen, but that is because they will not heed the caution.

The failure is what is pushing them to promote a one-party system. But we must resist. We need to cast out the ghost from this afflicted party. Our democracy is not designed to favour one individual under a one-party system. No matter the problems of other parties, we must accommodate their flaws to ensure they are fit for purpose.

But if change is to come, it will not be imposed. It must rise from below, from people finding meaning again, rebuilding trust, and believing in one another again. Yes, this sounds hopelessly utopian. But it need not be. Sometimes, a shared moment, no matter how crazy, can be the turning point.

Coming together under a united front—a coalition—to challenge the ghost-haunted incumbent party might yet give people something to gather around, something to look forward to. It may sound too good to be true, but perhaps it is enough to get people, across political parties, talking again.