From 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy the country has witnessed a lot of changes but still without change!
It is on record that both federal and state governments across the federation have constructed and renovated many roads, but with alarming increase in road accidents.
Security personnel like military, police and other paramilitary have been employed, promoted, trained both at home and abroad, better and more sophisticated weapons including fire jets were purchased, supplied and distributed to various units. More security units and bases are established, with a lot of transfer, change of leadership and restructuring, yet insecurity challenges still linger at alarming rate.
More universities and other tertiary institutions are established. Both public and private primary and more secondary schools are also established. Ironically, the country now has more out of school children and drop outs than ever before. Students with all the stipulated requirements of SSCE, JAMB, post-UMT and what have you, and have passed all the huddles and rigorous exercise required for admission but denied the admission and subsequently became nuisance in the society are more than before.
Many jungles and forests are now turned into farmlands where people cultivate and produce food. Irrigation and dry season farming is in the increase. Modern farming has now replaced the crude traditional and very slow farming method. However, foodstuff is costlier now than what we used to have in the past.
Preaching, admonition or sermons are at the fingers of every Nigerian. Nigeria has more clerics now, more mosques, churches, religious books, more sects and claimed more Godly but moral decadence, barbarism, greed, evil worship, and more blood money are in circulation freely than in the past.
Means of communication is common, simple and easier. ICT has made the entire nation a simple hamlet. Through social media one can listen and watch things happening in Lagos from Maiduguri, but instead of fostering communication what we are witnessing in Nigeria today is more of communication gap, leading to conflict here and there. The very recent being the killing of very innocent travellers along Bauchi -Jos road, precisely Gada-biyu. May Allah have mercy on them and expose their savage killers, amen.
We need more attitudinal change and prayers in this country better than a particular political party or a personality as a leader in any form of governance.
Muhammed Bello Umar,Aminu Saleh College of Education,Azare, Bauchi state
