I must speak out at this time about the numerous difficulties facing Nigerian citizens. Nigeria is a great country whose natural and human resources should be enough for national development; sadly, today, the people are, instead, experiencing the worst economic hardship in the history of the country.

Over the years, Nigerians have witnessed so many unfulfilled political promises at all levels of government and I frankly thought that this government of change would be an exception. The responsibilities of any government include, among others, security of lives and property and the welfare of the citizens. Considering how the current government came on board on March 28, 2015, one would have expected it to actually make a reasonable impact and justify the change that Nigerians voted for. Regrettably, though there is a change, it cannot be adjudged as a positive change.

It is no longer news that one dollar can never be equivalent to one naira as promised during the campaigns. What about the promise of free meal per day to Nigerian pupils? Can I even forget the promise to bring back our Chibok girls? What about the promise of wiping out the Boko Haram insurgency ravaging the north-eastern part of Nigeria? It was also promised that unemployed Nigerian youths would be paid a monthly stipend of N5,000? Today, none of these promises has been fulfilled one year on the saddle. Now, the bigger problems of the Niger Delta Avengers and murderous Fulani herdsmen are on the front burner and the government of change is under-estimating the suffering of the people.

Anytime I reminisce on how electricity generation drastically improved in the incipient stage of President Buhari’s administration, I begin to wonder with utmost curiosity if I am still living in the same country that I was living in, or not.

Today, the scarcity or exorbitant cost of foreign exchange for importation of raw materials by local industries is affecting Nigerian industries and the galloping inflation is biting hard on many Nigerians. There is also retrenchment of employees in the private sector without any job being created by the government. Some companies are even shutting down operations and except an urgent action is taken by the Federal Government, more jobs and companies are set to go in like manner.

Even civil servants are not unaffected as salaries are not being paid regularly, yet they are expected to put in their best at all times. Again, kerosene and petrol pump prices are at all time high and the people are the worst for it this time round.

The common man can no longer afford anything good all because of the exorbitant increase in the prices of all consumer goods. When there was “corruption”, the common man was able to feed himself but now that “corruption” is assumed to be no more, they can no longer feed themselves. What an irony!

Sincerely, Mr President, nothing is working well for most Nigerians who lack access to power and its trappings and waking up to this reality and acting swiftly to avoid more sufferings is your constitutional duty. You asked for it. You must do it faithfully.

Ejime Obinna