Tomorrow, October 1, 2022, is Nigeria’s 62nd anniversary commemorating the lowering of the Union Jack, the symbol of colonialism on October 1, 1960. Interestingly, it coincides this year with the commencement of political campaigns which was flagged off by the political parties and contestants on Wednesday, September 28. Beyond that, it would seem that many Nigerians for obvious reasons don’t see much to celebrate. For example, my colleague at Olabisi Onabanjo University and The PUNCH columnist, Professor Sheriffdeen Tella, titled his reflections last Monday with a joyless “Nothing to Celebrate.” Indices of that perspective are all around us. There is, for instance, the fact that the country is going heavily a-borrowing in order to fund the 2023 budget, inflationary upswing, even though a worldwide occurrence, is over 20 per cent in our country, raising question marks about the prospects of survival for 80-90 per cent of Nigerians. That is not all. Interest rate has just been increased by the Central Bank of Nigeria while foodstuffs, in particular, are increasingly priced out of the reach of the poor.
On the security front, the military and the police swung to action recently after the Federal Capital Territory came under siege, with terrorists directly threatening the life of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and some members of the Presidential Guard Brigade were killed in an ambush. It remains to be seen whether the new offensive will be far-reaching enough to allow the impending elections to hold in an atmosphere of sanctity. Only a few days ago, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, raised concerns about the threat posed to the elections by social media, raging insecurity and the conduct and character of the politicians suggesting that insecurity constitutes a particular peril to orderly and peaceful voting.
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