The Dream Is Becoming A Nightmare And Life As We Know It Is Changing…Fast.
All over Nigeria today particularly in the northern parts, poverty, hunger and anger are setting in as the economy continues to crumble.
In some of the areas that have been the hardest hit by the declining economy, we are seeing very disturbing reports of desperate people doing desperate things as they scramble to survive or as they vent their frustrations.
Today, there are a whole lot of young people that feel as though all hope is gone and the very fabric of Nigerian society is starting to come apart
It is frightening to even think about what is going to happen if the economy gets even worse.
Already, many Nigerians are starting to become very frustrated, having lost their sustenance as many have lost or are losing their jobs.
As hopelessness and despair rise, an increasing number of young Nigerians are turning to crime while the elderly are lashing out in unpredictable ways.
Many other desperate Nigerians are not lashing out or committing crimes at all. Instead, they are just quietly suffering.
Most others have become so desperate that they have given up completely.
As the price of staple foods keeps rising, the level of trust in society starts declining significantly, and people start becoming very paranoid.
And when people feel constantly uncertain, they tend to lash out in unusual ways.
When people become truly desperate, they also tend to become highly unpredictable.
When desperation spreads throughout a society, you literally do not know who you can trust.
It is disheartening to think of the eventual day when the total breakdown of the economy will drive thousands from the cities; a lot of them looking for ‘opportunities’.
As sad as it is, if you’re not one of the most unfortunate, it’s time to prepare a defense for your goods, family and self. You are going to be viewed as wealthy, no matter how poor you feel, by someone with nothing left to lose.
When people get desperate, violence tends to increase. We are starting to see shocking examples of this in some parts of the country.
Another disturbing thing that we are seeing is the trend toward mob violence; large groups of people start banding together to commit violence against others.
When criminals get desperate, they don’t care who they attack and they will take everything from you that they can.
When people get desperate, they will often do things that they never even imagined that they would be willing to do.
Yes, authorities in many areas will attempt to crack down, but what are they going to do when millions of people start doing desperate things all at once?
If the country is this unstable now, what is it going to be like when our terrible economy becomes even worse and unemployment becomes even higher?
Will it be an all-out struggle for survival, or will we be able to handle ourselves fairly well?
One thing is for sure, this nation is headed in the wrong direction.
So what is the solution to our problems?
Suleiman, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.
