By Akin Samuel KAYODE
The early morning sun had only just begun to stretch across the dusty rooftops of the neighbourhood when Alhaji Sule slowly unlocked the fading wooden doors of his small provision shop in Kaduna.
Years ago, the atmosphere around the area used to be lively before sunrise. Civil servants stopped by to purchase breakfast on their way to work, traders bought household supplies in bulk, and commercial drivers gathered nearby discussing football, politics, and daily survival.
But on this particular morning, silence hung heavily in the air. The shelves behind him looked almost empty, not because customers had rushed the goods, but because he could no longer afford to restock them. Across the road, a young mother quietly turned away from a food vendor after discovering that the money in her hand could no longer buy a loaf of bread and milk for her children.
Nearby, a commercial motorcyclist complained bitterly about fuel prices, whilst a frustrated graduate scrolled endlessly through job vacancies on his phone without hope of employment.
Alhaji Sule watched the painful scenes around him and sighed deeply. “Hungry people may endure for a while,” he murmured quietly, “but one day, they will speak through their votes.” In many ways, that statement reflects the growing mood of millions of Nigerians today.
Nigeria presently stands at one of the most difficult moments in its democratic and economic journey. Across the country, hardship has become impossible to ignore.
From Lagos to Kano, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, and from rural farming settlements to crowded urban centres, millions of citizens continue to battle rising inflation, unemployment, insecurity, unstable electricity supply, worsening poverty, and declining living standards. For countless families, survival itself has now become a daily struggle.
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, many Nigerians embraced his administration with cautious optimism and expectation. The promise of renewed hope resonated strongly with citizens who desperately desired economic recovery, stronger institutions, improved security, job creation, and purposeful leadership. After years of national frustration, many believed the country was about to witness practical reforms capable of stabilising the economy and restoring public confidence.
However, as the administration gradually approached its fourth year, many Nigerians began questioning whether the promises of renewed hope had translated into meaningful improvements in their daily lives. The removal of fuel subsidy, announced almost immediately after the President assumed office, remains one of the defining and most controversial decisions of the administration. Whilst government officials and economic experts defended the policy as necessary for long term fiscal sustainability, its immediate consequences brought severe hardship upon ordinary Nigerians.
According to data and economic reports released over recent years by institutions such as the National Bureau of Statistics and international financial observers, inflation and food inflation reached some of the highest levels recorded in decades. Petrol prices moved from approximately ₦185 per litre in 2023 to above ₦1,000 in several parts of the country by 2026.
Transportation costs rose sharply. Electricity tariffs increased. Small businesses struggled with operational expenses. A bag of rice that previously sold for around ₦35,000 climbed beyond ₦90,000 in many markets, whilst the prices of bread, beans, garri, yam, cooking oil, and other essential commodities continued to rise relentlessly. Today, many Nigerian households spend over seventy per cent of their income on feeding alone.
The human consequences of these economic realities are visible everywhere. In Lagos, some commercial drivers now sleep inside their vehicles because transport income can no longer sustain accommodation and family responsibilities. In the Benue and Plateau States, many farmers remain afraid to cultivate large portions of farmland because of insecurity and violent attacks.
In Ibadan and Enugu, thousands of graduates continue searching endlessly for employment despite years of academic sacrifice. In Kano and Sokoto, widows and struggling mothers battle daily to provide food for their children as inflation steadily destroys purchasing power. These realities are no longer isolated stories. They have become part of Nigeria’s painful national experience.
The depreciation of the naira against major foreign currencies has further deepened the crisis. Businesses dependent upon imported goods and raw materials now face unbearable production costs. Pharmaceutical products, educational materials, electronics, and industrial equipment have become increasingly expensive. Small scale enterprises that once survived modestly are gradually collapsing under the pressure of inflation, weak consumer purchasing power, and unstable exchange rates. The middle class, once regarded as the stabilising backbone of society, is steadily disappearing under economic hardship.
Beyond the economy lies the equally troubling issue of insecurity. Across different parts of the country, kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, and violent crimes continue to threaten lives and economic productivity. Farmers fear entering their farmlands. Travellers move cautiously along highways. Communities live under constant anxiety. Parents worry about the safety of their children in schools and public places. No nation can genuinely prosper when its citizens feel unsafe within their own homeland.
Young Nigerians have perhaps become the most frustrated demographic within the country today. Despite possessing creativity, education, innovation, and talent, many youths feel abandoned by a system that appears unable to provide meaningful opportunities. The “Japa” wave continues to intensify as thousands of professionals, doctors, nurses, engineers, and graduates leave the country searching for stability and dignity abroad. A nation that continually loses its brightest minds to migration risks weakening its own future development, productivity, and global competitiveness.
Another major source of public frustration is the growing perception that many political leaders appear disconnected from the suffering of ordinary citizens. Whilst millions struggle daily to survive, stories of expensive convoys, luxurious lifestyles, extravagant government spending, and costly political appointments continue dominating public discourse. To many Nigerians, the contrast between public suffering and political comfort appears deeply insensitive. Leadership should not merely be about occupying positions of authority. It should also reflect empathy, sacrifice, responsibility, and genuine concern for the wellbeing of the people.
Democracy, however, provides citizens with a constitutional and peaceful instrument through which they can express dissatisfaction and demand accountability. Elections are not merely ceremonial political events. They represent moments of collective judgement where citizens assess leadership performance and determine the future direction of their country. Increasingly, conversations in markets, campuses, offices, churches, mosques, and social gatherings suggest that many Nigerians now view the 2027 presidential election as more than a political contest. To them, it is gradually becoming a referendum on hardship, governance, and national survival.
Come January 16, 2027, millions of Nigerians may decide to use the ballot box as their democratic voice against hunger, insecurity, unemployment, inflation, and perceived governance failures. That day may symbolise the frustration of struggling traders, unemployed graduates, fearful farmers, exhausted civil servants, neglected pensioners, and ordinary citizens who believe Nigeria deserves more competent, compassionate, and people centred leadership. When hardworking citizens can no longer afford food, transportation, healthcare, and dignity despite their daily labour, democracy naturally becomes their loudest avenue for protest and accountability.
It is important to emphasise that criticism of government policies should never be mistaken for hatred against individuals. Nigerians are not demanding perfection from any administration. Rather, they seek sincerity, competence, accountability, transparency, and measurable improvement in their quality of life. Citizens desire leadership that listens attentively, responds compassionately, and prioritises national welfare above political interests and elite comfort.
Political leaders across party lines must recognise that Nigerians are becoming increasingly politically conscious and informed. The era when citizens could easily be manipulated through ethnic sentiments, empty promises, and emotional propaganda is gradually fading. Nigerians now ask deeper questions about competence, economic management, institutional reforms, security, and leadership credibility. A nation facing severe hardship requires practical governance, not endless political rhetoric.
The opposition political parties also carried enormous responsibility ahead of 2027. Criticising the current administration alone will not automatically inspire public confidence. Nigerians expect alternative visions, practical economic solutions, credible leadership, and realistic strategies capable of restoring national stability. The country deserves a political environment where leadership is earned through competence, integrity, patriotism, and proven capacity rather than mere political calculations.
As Nigeria gradually approaches another decisive political season, citizens must remain peaceful, responsible, and committed to democratic principles. Anger and frustration should never degenerate into violence or national division. Rather, Nigerians must continue participating actively in democratic processes, demanding accountability, and shaping the future of the country through lawful and constitutional means. History repeatedly shows that when the suffering of the people becomes unbearable, the ballot box often becomes the strongest voice of democratic resistance. Governments may command institutions, influence political structures, and control the instruments of power, but no administration can permanently silence the verdict of a hungry, frustrated, and determined people. If the present realities persist without visible improvement, then come January 16, 2027, millions of Nigerians may indeed stand united to tell President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration, firmly, peacefully, and unmistakably, “enough is enough.”
Akin Samuel KAYODE is a member, The Narrative Force.
