How Nigeria has ‘changed’

When the All Progressives Congress (APC) was campaigning for the 2015 general election, many Nigerians never believed that the change the party promised will come quicker than expected.

But soon after the party assumed power, the promised change arrived and Nigeria and Nigerians are no longer the same. That Nigeria has changed almost a year that the APC has been in power is not in doubt anymore.

Just take a sampler: Since the APC came to power, the country has been treated to several bouts of petrol scarcity. The current scarcity of the product for instance has lasted for almost a month despite assurances that it would be over in days. In many cities across the country, sights of people moving about in search of petrol is common. Many spend hours and days at filling stations to purchase the product, with many stations selling above the official pump price of N86. 50k per litre. A litre of petrol as at the weekend sold between N160-N250 in Lagos, the nation’s commercial nerve centre. The story is the same and even worse in other parts of the country.

But since Nigeria has changed, nobody is splitting hairs over the situation. Many who hitherto made criticizing such situation under the immediate the past administration a past time have suddenly gone quiet. They are no longer on television, radio or in newspapers, deriding government. Rather than take the incumbent administration to task on this, they look the other way or at best call for understanding from Nigerians.

The civil society organisations, labour unions, human right activists, etc, who were busy organising all manner of protests over perceived failings of the erstwhile administration have all gone under to ‘save’ their heads and businesses. Suddenly because Nigeria has ‘changed’, they are no longer holding the country hostage through their protests despite many untoward happenings in the polity.

Now because Nigeria has changed, nobody is shutting down the country over one policy or the other including the recent hike in electricity tariff. We have all accepted the tariff though less or no electricity is supplied. If it were before the ‘Change’ party came on board, hell would have been let lose, and the airwaves would have been full of all manner of insults on the government, it officials and agencies.

Because Nigeria has changed, we have all been told to be patient with the current administration, something those who are urging Nigerians to do insisted should not be extended to the erstwhile administration.

Because Nigeria has changed, many of the human right activists who before now took delight in running down government in the media, no longer see it as duty to keep the incumbent administration on its toes. Even in the face of the lackluster performance of the APC administration in almost a year of being in power, many of these activists pretend that all is well.

Even many lawyers among them senior advocates of Nigeria, who should be on the forefront insisting that the government respect the rule of law including court orders, because we are now living in the change era, are presently the very ones urging the incumbent administration to disobey court orders, including detaining suspects endlessly and without trial in some instances.

If you doubt that Nigeria indeed has changed in the almost one year that the APC has been in power, then look at what has happened to the Naira in relation to the US dollar. Again, if you are in doubt that Nigeria has changed under the Change party, ask housewives or better still visit the market. The feedback you will get will confirm to you that Nigeria has indeed changed.