“Renewed Hope” For Whom? The Privilege Of One Family & The Poverty Of Millions
A husband reportedly buys private jets, a yacht and bulletproof Jeeps for personal comfort. His wife is said to provide Hummer buses for party women leaders in all 36 states, distribute billions to political loyalists and still leave struggling women to make a living by frying Akara. Meanwhile, the son reportedly moves from place to place in convoys, organises groups and commits billions to financing their activities.
Party youth leaders are also said to receive 2026-model Prado Jeeps. So, while political insiders appear to enjoy an abundance of resources, ordinary Nigerians are left to battle rising prices, dwindling incomes and the daily struggle to survive.
Then, as if that contrast were not enough, the three reportedly fly private jets to Kaduna and tell the people that the opposition is responsible for their poverty. What an explanation! Must every complaint about hunger, unemployment and hardship become an opportunity to blame political opponents?
Let us not forget the economic decisions that brought Nigerians to this point. The president removed the fuel subsidy, presided over the devaluation of the naira and introduced successive taxes. He defended these measures and said the proceeds had been handed to governors.
Yet, when citizens complain about the hardship that followed, he distances himself from responsibility. How does that argument work? Can a government claim credit for its economic decisions but disclaim responsibility for their consequences?
Certainly, Nigerians have every reason to demand answers. If the sacrifices imposed on citizens were necessary to rescue the economy, where are the visible benefits? If billions have gone to the states, what measurable improvements have ordinary people experienced? And if the government expects patience from struggling households, should those in power not demonstrate restraint and accountability themselves?
Sadly, some of the very people who have been impoverished by the country’s economic conditions still defend the political family and its establishment. They cling to the Renewed Hope Agenda, even when their own circumstances raise difficult questions about what that promise has delivered.
That is perhaps the most painful part of this national contradiction. The poor are asked to make sacrifices, while the privileged are portrayed as living beyond the reach of those sacrifices. Citizens are told to blame the opposition, even as they wait for relief from the government they elected.
How long can this arrangement continue without a serious reckoning over leadership, public resources and accountability? How can a nation rebuild public confidence when the experience of ordinary people appears so different from the privileges associated with political power?
Who did us this bad thing in this country? Who made survival such a daily struggle for millions?
Nigeria, indeed, there was a nation!
