When talking about history, it's all about the past events and things that happened then. I grew up learning about how slavery started, how war went wild, which claimed lives, making many people become homeless, widows, and orphans.
Many of us were alive then to experience lots of things and happenings. It’s still a concern that the majority of what happened at that time are recurring today. So, this isn't something that's about to repeat itself but has already started happening.
It is true that when we don't learn from the past, it's bound to repeat itself again and this time around, it's going to be worse. Sadly, a lot of what went wrong in the past is already showing up again, and our leaders do not care to take measures to resolve it. And even when we have people who would stand up to do something, they hurt them which is not good.
When we talk about fuel scarcity, hikes in foodstuffs, wars, etc, these are things we’ve experienced in the past, and sadly, nothing tangible has been done to stop them, or measures taken to control the situation because of the 'powers that be'.
Fuel Scarcity...
This is one of the things that has happened in history and is still happening today with the shortage of fuel caused by subsidies. This was dated to start in the 1970s.
I could remember that in the year 2014, I was living with my aunt at the time. That year was another tough moment in the history of Nigeria. It was always frustrating to go stand in queues at the filling station even under the hot sun, fighting lines just to get petrol.
My aunt was a dry cleaner then, and light issue was also a big problem, which we are still facing today. We depended on the big generator that uses diesel while the small generator used petrol. I would wait in line for more than 2 hours just to get to my turn and under the sun while it beats my body.
Not everyone found it easy then, and many resorted to taking advantage of selling on the black market where the price went higher. Of course, who wouldn’t buy when their businesses depended on light to make sales?
How about electricity?
It’s so funny how we are still here today. Like, those days when we were younger. I’m talking about the early 2000s. As children, it was always exciting to shout UpNepa when the light came; little did we know it would be something that would become tough for us. It’s getting tougher day by day, and today, we are still stuck in the problem of no electricity, but you know, we aren’t thrilled to shout up NEPA like in the past because we are used to it already and it's not funny anymore.
Everyone is now used to power banks, generators and above all, solar and inverters to keep our businesses running.
Another issue where history has repeated itself is in the area of migration.
I read that in the 80s and 90s, people were migrating to the US, UK, Ghana, etc, to escape hardship, and here we are again today. In Nigeria, we call it the Japa Syndrome. No conversation won’t end with “I want to Japa” meaning I want to leave for greener pastures. People are looking for a way out. You will always listen to discussions with them mentioning scholarships, taking IELTS exams, processing their visas and the like.
In my country, particularly, the issue is getting worse day by day, as people don’t find it funny anymore but look for greater opportunities outside their country. We still see a lot of people “Japaing” and no solutions have been made. People need to move on to escape this hardship and unfortunately, it’s everywhere. As people are leaving their countries, more people are coming in just to ensure a good life for themselves.
The truth is, we need good leaders with a fear of God. We need those who won't compromise their integrity for selfishness, greediness and inconsideration. We need those in authority who would be able to curb the issues and take quick measures to ensure smooth activities where everyone would be okay in the end. If you ask me, would this ever be possible? Yes, it is because with God, nothing is impossible.
Image Source:pixabay
Posted Using INLEO
