By Iniobong Udoh
Writing this was not easy for me. Because each time I tried to blame others, I kept seeing three fingers pointing back at me. The truth is, we all play a part in how this country has turned out.
Yes, even I. And until we admit that, nothing will truly change. We’ve become too individualistic in this country. Once someone can afford something, they automatically believe everyone else should be able to afford it, too.
No empathy, no deeper thinking, just vibes. Imagine waking up tomorrow and garri is ₦2,000 per cup. Some people will be happy.
Not because it makes sense, but because they finally get to say, “At least I can afford it.” They’ll remind you how expensive garri was when they lived abroad, but won’t talk about how garri is produced here, and how it’s food for millions who now can’t afford it.
Same with fuel. If the price jumps to ₦1,500 per litre, they’ll compare it to fuel prices in Hong Kong or the UK. But let me break it down clearly: In 2025, Hong Kong’s GDP per capita is about $50,000, while Nigeria’s GDP per capita is around $2,300. How can you compare both?
How can you tell someone earning peanuts to pay the same price for fuel as someone earning gold? That’s not wisdom, that’s wickedness. They play this game with us all the time.
They’ll hike the price of something by 10x, wait for noise online, then reduce it to 8x, and suddenly, some people start clapping. Saying “they tried,” like we’ve forgotten the original price. Look at the dollar, too.
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In 2015, it was ₦199. By late 2024, it peaked at about ₦1,700. Now it’s around ₦1,500. That’s over 7.5 times depreciation. And yet, some people are thanking the government for “stabilising” the economy. But what are we producing? What changed to make the naira stronger? Nothing.
So it’s not stability, it’s a setup. And when it hits again, it’ll hit hard. Even electricity, instead of giving us steady power, divided us into “bands”, and what did we do? We turned it into a status symbol. Bragging about how much we pay per unit, as if paying more for basic things is now an achievement.
We don’t ask questions. We don’t hold leaders accountable. Instead, we clap for them while we suffer. They don’t need PR teams; millions of Nigerians have become their unpaid spokespeople. It’s painful to say, but it’s true. And until we look inward and start reasoning with clear heads, not egos, nothing will change.
We need to stop celebrating pain. Stop dressing up hardship and calling it growth. Stop comparing ourselves to countries we’ve refused to become like in structure, leadership, or economy. This country can still be better, but only if we stop pretending like all is well. The change we need won’t come from just shouting online or waiting for the next election.
It starts with thinking differently. It starts with seeing through the lies. It starts with people like you and me saying: “No more.” Because we deserve better. And Nigeria won’t change until Nigerians do.
6 Responses
The change begins with us, the masses, and our mindset
Thunder will fire the government 👿🤢
The change we desire begins with accountability. It’s quite unfortunate that the government is accountable to no one.
“Nigeria won’t change until Nigerians do.”
That line hits deep, and it’s the hard truth.
We need to wake up, speak up, and stop accepting crumbs like we’re being done a favor. The government is not a gift; it’s a responsibility, and we must hold it accountable.
Enough of the silence. Enough of the struggle being normal.
Let’s rise.
Let’s say NO to bad governance.
NO to hardship.
NO to the new nonsense that is now the norm.
Change won’t come until we demand it together.
All I want to say is that they don’t really care about us…
That is it