A clarion call for a drifting nation By Chukwuemeka Gladys Nkechi

Nigeria of recent has been ranked as a country with the most poor people, despite being the largest economy in Africa and having the world’s highest economic growth rate.
Poverty still remains significant in Africa’s biggest economy that is blessed with rich natural and human Resources, wealth and huge population can boost commerce, with a fast growing well-developed economy, the level of poverty remains deteriorating and unacceptable.
As the Nigerian economy is growing, the proportion of Nigerians living in poverty is increasing daily.
Study shows that absolute poverty is measured by the number of people who can afford only the essentials of shelter, food and clothing.
What this implies is that, as been the country with the most poor people, most of its citizens cannot afford a single meal per day, have no shelter over there head nor good clothing.
Truth be told, there are a lot of factors that contributed negatively to Nigeria being ranked as the country with the most poor people.
For instance, the standard of Nigerian public educational system is falling.
Most public schools are in a very bad shape with poor teaching aids, and pupils learn while sitting on the floor under trees or in an overcrowded classroom, taught by half-baked teachers.
Public schools also lack practical or technical facilities making education boring for the pupils and ending up with more theoretical and quantitative than qualitative.
The high rate of unemployment in the country is alarming, there are a lot of young men and women that are privileged to acquire higher education but rarely get employed either due to the wide spread of joblessness or companies wanting youth who are employable and have working experience, forgetting that working experience comes when one is employed.
Presently, we are passing through a very bad and tough economic situation in the country that has resulted in the high rate of unemployment due to bad governance, corruption, poor minimum wage and negligence.
The health and environmental sector is at the bridge of collapsing with health workers going in and out of strike as a result of poor working conditions.
The security system of the country is nothing to write home about with lots of killings, bombings, vandalism and kidnapping.
These past weeks, Nigeria was faced with lots of emergency with regards to its poor security system, we have witnessed a drastic and frantic insecurity challenges, this challenges come in various forms, ranging from communal clashes, religious crisis, to suspected Fulani herders massacre.
This worrisome incessant violence apart from killing and maiming of innocent citizens, has stamped agony, tension, misunderstanding and aggression in the minds of Nigerians making them to live a life of suspicion and constant presentiment of an impending disaster.
Bribery and corruption has also eaten deep into every fabric of the Nigeria society, this is our biggest and greatest challenge as a nation.
Corruption in Nigeria occurs in almost every sector of the Nigerian economy, be it high or low and takes different shapes starting with embezzlement, bribery, ritual killings and rigging of election, the list is endless.
All these and many more are some of the negative reasons why our beloved nation is being ranked as having the most poor people.
We cannot sit and fold our hands and watch our beloved country crippled and come to a halt neither should we resign to fate.
All hands should be on deck if we want to uplift our dear nation, we as citizens of this beloved nation should be patriotic, vigilant and proactive.
We should learn to value people’s lives.
The government on its part should try and strengthen the security system of the nation, borders and Nigerian lives should be properly guided, government should provide adequate infrastructure for the development of the nation, and the present government should stop the blame game and learn to take responsibility for it actions and inactions.
Government should also try and resolve the responsibility and control conflict between the Federal, State and Local governments in the management of education at various State levels.
Create job opportunities in various sectors, government should try and cultivate the habit of maintenance culture, create strong stringent regulatory and monitoring system that can help check corrupt practices, provision of social protection for the poor and vulnerable.
I believe if all these and more are done, it will help to elevate our dear country.
Nkechi writes from Aco Estate, Lugbe, Abuja via [email protected]; 08068622868

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