ANONYMOUS CORNER: ‘We have no other country to run to’ — A frustrated Nigerian speaks
DON’T DIE IN SILENCE:
Share your worry anonymously via The DEFENDER’s Anonymous Corner – Safe!
By KEMI KASUMU
For him, the issue is no longer about finding a perfect politician. It is about finding leaders capable of rebuilding confidence in a country whose people are increasingly exhausted. “Nigeria is too important to be surrendered to bad leadership,” he said.
There are moments when the weight of Nigeria’s problems becomes so heavy that a person simply becomes tired of complaining.
For one Nigerian, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of his views, that moment appears to have arrived.
He described himself as deeply frustrated by what he sees as the steady deterioration of institutions and systems that are supposed to make life better for ordinary citizens.
“Sometimes, I ask myself what exactly is happening to this country,” he said quietly. “Almost everywhere you turn, you see one problem or another. The systems are failing, corruption is eating deep, and ordinary people are the ones paying the price.”
His frustration, however, is not simply about the economy or the hardship of the moment. It is about the feeling that failure has become entrenched in too many departments of national life—from governance and public services to security, infrastructure, education and the economy.
According to him, Nigerians are increasingly being forced to survive systems that should ordinarily serve them.
“You struggle to get what should be a basic service. You pay for things that government should provide. You see people with connections getting ahead while those without connections struggle. After a while, you begin to wonder whether the country is working for the people at all.”
Yet, beneath his anger is something deeper: a painful attachment to Nigeria.
“We have no other country to run to,” he said. “This is our country. Our children are here. Our parents are here. Our memories are here. So, no matter how frustrated we become, we cannot simply abandon Nigeria.”
That, perhaps, is the most difficult part of the Nigerian dilemma.
Many citizens dream of leaving. Some have already left. Others are constantly searching for opportunities abroad. But millions remain, not necessarily because they are satisfied with the way things are, but because Nigeria remains home.
For the anonymous Nigerian, this is precisely why the country cannot afford to get its next political choices wrong.
“2027 must be different,” he insisted. “We must get leadership recruitment right. We cannot continue choosing people simply because they belong to a particular party, region, religion or political structure. We must ask: Who can actually lead? Who has competence? Who has character? Who understands the suffering of ordinary Nigerians?”
He believes the coming political season should therefore be more than another contest for power.
“It should be a national examination,” he said. “We should examine the records of those asking for our votes. What have they done before? What do they stand for? What is their plan for security, jobs, education, healthcare, infrastructure and the economy? And most importantly, can we trust them?”
For him, the issue is no longer about finding a perfect politician. It is about finding leaders capable of rebuilding confidence in a country whose people are increasingly exhausted.
“Nigeria is too important to be surrendered to bad leadership,” he said.
Then came a final remark that perhaps captures the dilemma confronting millions of Nigerians:
“We may be angry. We may be disappointed. We may even be tempted to give up. But we have no other country to run to.
“So, we must get it right in 2027.”
