We are in difficult times. There is anxiety, apprehension and fear in the land. Nigerians are no longer sure of what the future holds in stock for them. A courageous people have suddenly lost their swagger and are now asking concrete questions on governance and social justice. Some Nigerians anticipated that things are bad while others believed their leaders when they told them and assured them that there is nothing to worry about. But the biggest challenge is that Nigerians are finding it difficult navigating and understanding what the issues are and why they should be where they are.
Unfortunately, the present government were not communicating and or communicating well.
When they are communicating, some of the issues are not properly framed and this has created a huge challenge for the information managers of the present regime. While Nigerians agree that the previous regime led the country towards a blind alley they want to see concrete evidence of action aimed at reversing the situation.
It does not mean or follow that those that rationally and objectively criticize the government are enemies of the present government or want a return to the previous regime. However, in looking at the communication strategy of the present regime, we must acknowledge that prior to their coming on board, the country was drifting and dangerously too and yet the leaders continued to borrow money to paper the cracks.
Not only did they borrow money, they helped themselves to a large proportion of the money they borrowed. Not only did they recover some of the monies stolen by previous regimes they generously “re-looted” the loot they recovered.
The previous regime knew that the economy was in crisis and continued to borrow money and used meaningless jargons to assure the Nigerian people that the economy was doing well. And we believed them because they had the knowledge and they had the figures and they had the budget. But their assurances were at variance with the reality on the streets and in the markets. But hope is part of survival tactics and strategy and the Nigerian people kept hope alive.
The most bizarre and unconscionable of the acts of the previous regime was to allow insurgents to take over a large proportion of Nigerian territory. Not only did they allow that to happen, they sent Nigerian troops to fight insurgents with bare hands and the consequence of that was that Nigeria lost a large number of its fine officers. Nigeria lost officers trained with public money. Nigeria lost officers that decent countries should be proud of. Nigeria lost officers that fought gallantly in other countries. But they did not care as the war against insurgency must be maintained and used as a conduit pipe to siphon the commonwealth of the country. But some of our leaders were so heartless that they refused to hear the cries of orphans and widows.
They saw toddlers toddle in the forests and looked the other way. They witnessed the flooding of widows and widowers into the forests and into neighbouring countries and this did not move them. They saw some of their country men and women lose everything they have ever worked for and yet they remained impervious to their suffering. The leaders continued to lie to the Nigerian people and continued to live big using the funds meant to fight insurgents.
But the Nigerian people apparently panicked when suicide bombings became the order of the day. The Nigerian people panicked when the Nigerian geographical space continued to shrink. Nigerians panicked when the insurgents targeted everybody in a mindless orgy of violence.
This was the reality before the 2015 general elections and the Nigerian people felt and justifiably too that the regime in power was incompetent and incapable of protecting the security of the Nigerian people and providing for their welfare.
Somehow, Nigerians interpreted the slogan of “change” from their own perspectives and depending on their standing in the society. Some Nigerians believe and genuinely too that change will entail better management of the economy and better handling of the security situation in the country and they are right. Most Nigerians acknowledge that the fight against the insurgents has been well handled and more territories have been recovered from the insurgents.
We must also acknowledge that more persons that are internally displaced have returned to their abodes and are struggling to rebuild their lives. There are also some Nigerians that believe and genuinely too that change will bring instant change to their lives. Some of them believe that change means and meant that monies will be shared and they will be lifted from poverty to some form of affluence.
Some of them believe that they will have immediate employment and their standards of living will change dramatically. Unfortunately, the present regime did not tell the Nigerian people that given what they know of the economy and politics that change will come with pains.
They did not tell the Nigerian people that things will be rough before they get better and this reality has not been properly communicated and harnessed. This reality, possibly accounts for the anger and frustration of the Nigerian people relating to job losses in major sectors of the Nigerian economy. This may account for the consternation of the Nigerian people relating to foreign exchange crisis and the inability of some of the State Governments and parents with children in institutions of higher learning abroad in meeting their obligations of paying school fees and remitting money for the upkeep of their children.
Some of the students in institutions of higher learning outside the shores of Nigeria have resorted to begging and doing menial jobs to survive and those whose parents cannot continue to support them have returned to Nigeria angry and frustrated.
To some of these parents and students, they were not told that things are so bad that they cannot source for foreign exchange to pay school fees and take care of the upkeep of their sons and daughters. We also have major problems in the oil sector resulting in long queues in major and minor filing stations. Some of the filing stations are not dispensing and some Nigerians sleep in the filing stations and or abandon their vehicles in the filing stations.
Most Nigerians cannot understand this and those with responsibility to explain the issues are speaking in monologues using confusing terminologies that have further infuriated some Nigerians. In some states, salaries are not paid and some of the Governors bailed out with the bailout funds received from the Federal Government. The workers are angry and some of them are on strike. I believe that the major problem going forward is that the present regime is not communicating and or not communicating well.
There is a huge communication gap between the Nigerian people and the present government. Sometimes when explanations are offered the issues are not properly framed and this creates its own gaps and challenges. It is rationale and reasonable to blame the previous government for mortgaging the country and allowing it to drift. But the fact that some Nigerians are asking questions relating to governance issues does not make them agents of the previous government. Those insisting that governance must begin are not saying that they want the previous regime to return.
The issue is that Nigerians are anxious and want to be convinced that they can look towards the future with optimism. Nigerians want their government to be honest with them and take them into confidence relating to policies and programmes. I believe that most Nigerians believe in the present regime and understand that change will be painful and will come with a price. Nigerians want and demand change they can understand and change with a human face. Let the communication experts in the present regime talk to the Nigerian people and in a language they understand.
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