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With the hope of escaping many problems of the year 2020, today, Nigerians join citizens of other countries in the world to celebrate the beginning of the new year, 2021, but it appears so many of the burdens of the previous year may become a carryover for the country and its people.
Covid-19, its economic fallout, heightened insecurity, among other challenges that stifled beleaguered Nigeria in 2021, are some of the major reasons anyone will want such a dreaded year to end quickly.
Right there in the nationwide speech delivered by President Muhammadu Buhari in commemoration of the New Year, the aforesaid challenges become even more apparent as he (Buhari) admitted not only on their existence but also assured Nigerians more will be done to curb the highlighted issues.
In this report, TheNewsGuru (TNG) understudy some of the challenges of 2020 and how the same may become recurrent in the year 2021.
1. Worsening Covid-19 Situation
Most prevalent among the woes that affected Nigeria in 2020 is the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which shocked the world and overwhelmed the health systems of even high-income countries.
For Nigeria, the first case was imported from Italy on February 27, 2020 and that marked the beginning of the unsettling of the year 2020 for the country. The incidence of COVID-19 grows steadily in Nigeria, moving from an imported case and elitist pattern to community transmission, spreading across the states of the federation.
As the deadly disease continues to spread, Nigeria’s federal and state governments implemented lockdowns across most cities and states. This included closing all borders and many non-essential businesses – it was really a troubling experience for both the private and public sectors. The response from the government also provoked new challenges, which include inadequate testing laboratories, under-testing, inadequate palliatives, and economic stimuli.
Today, the Covid-19 challenge in Nigeria is worsening as caseloads of new infections and death rates are now on the high side. Amidst the upsurge, the government is faced with the challenge of opening the economy in order to save its economy from total collapse and this may create more confusion in the year 2021.
2. Economic hardship:
Apart from the seeming effect of Covid-19 on Nigeria’s economy in the year 2020, most predictions on what 2021 holds for the country indicate more negative narratives that may dash the hopes of Nigerians on the New Year.
According to a report published by the World Bank, the coronavirus crisis expectedly pushed five million more Nigerians into poverty. The human cost of the pandemic and the effect of new Nigerians falling into the poverty line will undoubtedly be felt more in the year 2021.
While the federal government had earlier projected signs of economic recovery for Nigeria in early 2021, the projection has now been weakened by the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the country amidst speculation of a second nationwide lockdown.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in a recent Economic and Business Review for Year 2020 And Outlook for Year 2021 warned that the 2021 economic outlook is not very bright.
The report, released by its Director-General Muda Yusuf, the LCCI said the shortage in foreign exchange (forex) available to businesses and end-users will remain one of the biggest hurdles in 2021.
The Economist Intelligence Unit in its 2021 projection for Nigeria warned that “macroeconomic instability casts a shadow over the near-term outlook. Inflation is structurally high, but the central bank will prioritise credit growth in its monetary stance. A low-interest rate environment points to further devaluations of the naira, with the current account remaining in the deficit over 2021, further adding to inflationary pressure and impeding an economic recovery.”
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday gave his final ascent on the 2021 budget on New Year’s Eve.
It sets a record of 13.5 billion Naira, or over 28 billion euros, which is about 20% higher than last year but the resurgence of Covid-19, global oil price, the exchange rate, the inflation are other indications the budget may not help Nigeria recover from its many pitfalls.
3. Insecurity
Another problem in 2020 which is yet unsolved in Nigeria is that of the insecurity of lives and properties. Nigeria, apart from being included among one of the terrorist countries of the world also made the US list of countries tolerating religious persecution.
Though, Buhari admitted he hasn’t done much for Nigerians on security in his New Year message and promised to tackle the same in 2021; the truth is, the problem got so much proliferated under his watch that no one will take his words seriously.
in the televised nationwide address on Friday (today), he promised re-energizing and reorganizing the security apparatus and personnel of the armed forces and the police with a view to enhancing their capacity to deal with threats of extremist and criminal groups in some parts of the country.
“Insecurity as a challenge has direct repercussions on our national economic stability, growth, and development, setting us back at critical points through the destruction of public and private investments,” Buhari said.
“Our administration is fully aware of the responsibility we have to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians,” he said, vowing that traumatic incidents like the abduction of over 300 students from a school in the northern state of Katsina in December do not become a norm.
For the records, the security in northeastern Nigeria has significantly deteriorated under the Buhari-led government and has also spread to northwestern Nigeria with the incessant farmers-herders’ conflict, kidnappings, and banditry on the rise.
Amidst these widespread challenges, Nigerian youths are on the other side their right to life from the same government that has closed its eyes to often-brutal military and law enforcement forces, such as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
4. Poor Leadership: Buhari is still the president
While it is good to assume that a New Year can usher in new opportunities for the citizenry, one can’t underestimate the role of leadership in harnessing such gains.
For Nigeria, a trusted political leadership has been a longstanding challenge and the situation persists since a change of year doesn’t imply a change of government.
Judging from the handling of the economy, security situations, and general ratings by its people, the Buhari-led government is one that is popularly adjudged as inefficient.
Worried by Buhari’s leadership failure, there have been many calls from different quarters in the country demanding Buhari’s resignation.
Surprisingly, even groups like the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, that supported Buhari’s rise to power also joined the calls on him to resign for failure to combat increasing insecurity in the country.
“Under this administration, life has lost its value, and more and more citizens are coming under the influence of criminals. We do not see any evidence of willingness on the part of President Buhari to honour his oath to provide security over Nigerians. The group said in one of the statements by its Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed
Read what the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, said on November 26, 2019 at the fourth quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council in Abuja:
“People think the North is safe but that assumption is not true. In fact, it’s the worst place to be in this country because bandits go around in the villages, households and markets with their AK-47 and nobody is challenging them. They stop at the market, buy things, pay and collect change, with their weapons openly displayed,” he said.