Some Nigerians have urged the Federal Government to urgently change course, warning that lies, deceit and corruption cannot improve the welfare of citizens amid worsening insecurity and economic hardship.
The views were expressed yesterday when Vanguard sampled opinions on current developments across the country.
One of the respondents, Nze Peter Chika Odoemena, said life had become increasingly unbearable for many Nigerians due to persistent insecurity and killings. He lamented years of mass killings by terrorists, noting that fresh attacks at the start of the year, including the reported killing of over 40 people in a market attack, had deepened fear and displacement.
Odoemena questioned why citizens were becoming refugees in their own country, schools forced to shut down, and insecurity persisting despite repeated assurances by government that it had the capacity to defeat terrorists. He stressed that “lies, deceit and corruption, no matter how small, cannot improve citizens’ welfare,” urging the Federal Government to reflect on this reality.
Another respondent, Jonathan Chiedo Ikegwuruka, criticised what he described as excessive politicking at the expense of governance. He faulted government claims that citizens’ welfare had improved, asking whether such claims reflected the lived realities of Nigerians.
Ikegwuruka also raised concerns about food insecurity, noting that many farmers were afraid to access their farmlands, while roads linking rural communities had become unsafe. He further decried the collapse of public utilities, particularly electricity and potable water supply, forcing households to rely on boreholes with potential environmental and health risks.
In her reaction, Mrs Stella Ogechi Omenka said Nigeria was facing serious challenges that could no longer be ignored. She said successive governments had made appealing promises about economic growth, yet citizens continued to suffer.
Omenka alleged that corruption remained widespread and expressed concern over the absence of viable programmes for youths, widows and other vulnerable groups, questioning whether the current approach could truly deliver progress.
The respondents collectively called on the Federal Government to address insecurity, corruption and governance deficits as a pathway to improving the welfare of Nigerians.
