Opinion: Which kin change be this?

Posted by admin Headlines Thursday, May 12th, 2016

By Ebele Orakpo

“Oh Chineke God, deliver us from this wahala. Is this what we voted for? The suffering is too much,” lamented Patrick, a commuter in the Apapa-bound bus, in reference to the long queues at petrol stations, often spilling into the road and obstructing the free-flow of traffic.

“Kai, we have never had it so bad. No fuel to drive your vehicle, no fuel to power your generator and no light from the electricity company, PHCN. This na real suffer head. Please what have we done?” asked Lucy.

This government is getting it all wrong. How can you say you are no longer paying subsidy and at the same time fixing price for marketers? It’s not done anywhere. It won’t work,” said Ken.

“How many marketers are selling at the fixed price?” asked Dayo. Replied Ken: “Why should they? You are not paying subsidy, they suffered to source for dollars at almost double the price, and you are asking them to sell at your fixed price? That is callous!”

Said Jide: “We are going through the pangs of childbirth. Before we enjoy, we must suffer. Just bear with this government a little longer and in the end, we will all enjoy. After all, you don’t expect PMB to fix PDP’s 16 wasted years in one year. He is not a magician.”

Retorted Patrick: “Aha, APC defender! Please people are tired of your blame game. We were told PDP was the worst thing to have happened to Nigeria and that APC was going to change everything for the better and we all clapped. As the Hausas say: Ga fili, ga doki (Here’s the field, here’s the horse). APC, you have the power, go to work. Unfortunately, everything is going from bad to worse. Labour should organise peaceful protests. We no longer sleep at nights because of heat and no fuel to power generators.”

“Shebi everyone is a wailer now. In fact, some even wail more than the original wailers. I dey laugh oo,” said Lucy sarcastically, adding: “We made our bed so we must lie on it without complaints please.”

Narrated Frank: “This change is changing everyone. Last Saturday, I called one Aboki to cut my nails. I grew up in Kano so I speak Hausa fluently. We got talking and I asked him his state of origin, he said Katsina. I said oh, they are the ogas at the top. To my surprise, his countenance changed and he said to me: ‘Abeg, no talk like that. Buhari has disappointed us. We all went home to vote – almajiris, the lame, blind, children – everyone went to vote because of the wonderful promises he made to us. Now, he is not fulfilling any.’ He said he had not eaten anything that day; this was around 2.00pm and he said he will use the money he will get from his services to eat. I began to wonder how many people he will cut their nails to be able to make enough money to afford a decent meal. I had to give him something to eat. He asked for old clothes also. He said they’ve not had it so bad.” “Next time when you hear change, you ask what type of change because change get different levels. These days, when you say change, people look at you somehow,” said Frank.

“I was in a bus a few days ago and a commuter asked the driver for change. Another commuter in another bus looked at him and said: ‘Abeg, we no wan hear that word again’. The man said he was asking for his balance not APC Change,” said Ken.

“It has gotten to that. PMB and his team should look for solutions and stop the blame game. If they don’t know what to do, let them copy the things the past government got right and continue from there. In fact, it’s high time he took a break from his worldwide junketing and face governance. Things are getting out of hand and he is busy going round the world. He should act fast before people take laws into their hands,” counselled Patrick.

Said Frank: “It’s happening already. Ethnic militias are rising everywhere. Since he has refused to tackle the herdsmen, people are working to defend themselves. All we hear is how the military is killing cattle rustlers leaving the killer herdsmen to roam freely.”

-Vanguard

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