When the news of the President's sudden death broke that morning, most Nigerians took it with a pinch of salt. They were already used to fake news. Propagandists had been using the social media to misinform gullible Nigerians. Even the regular media organizations had joined in spreading fake news. They had to join the bandwagon to remain in business since it was mainly bad and fake news that sold.
So, everyone went about their normal businesses without allowing the news to distract them. The president was alive, hale and hearty and would soon make public appearance. Hadn't that happened on many occasions in the past? Rumuormongers would never tire!
But as the day progressed, the news gained momentum. Even the international media joined the conversation. By this time, people started feeling that there could be an element of truth in this particular rumour. Tension mounted gradually as people stood in small groups, discussing the possibility and implications of Mr. President's demise.
There was no official statement from the presidency until 9pm when it was aired as breaking news on the NTA and other national television stations. The breaking news was greeted with shouts of joy from every nook and cranny of the country. Citizens trooped out in the streets, chanting and dancing. The last few years had been tough.
The economy was nothing to write home about. It was so bad that most foreign investors had withdrawn their monies from Nigeria. They had relocated their companies and businesses to neighbouring countries thereby throwing many Nigerians into the already saturated labour market. Even some Nigerian entrepreneurs also moved their companies out of the country as they were equally affected. Those that couldn't relocate either retrenched most of their workers and cut down production or shut down completely.
The growing economic hardship together with high level of unemployment worsened the insecurity in the land. Arm robbery, kidnapping, banditry, ritual killings and terrorism had become the order of the day. If suicide bombers were not detonating bombs in a market or a church, gunmen would be running riot in a certain town or village. Many people had been kidnapped and held in captivity for ransom. People died in their hundreds day by day but the government seemed uninterested and whenever they spoke, they sounded as though they had been overwhelmed. At other times, they would unequivocally talk in favour of the criminals.
What of the infrastructure? The roads were death traps and the rails were nonexistent. Power supply was so epileptic that five hours of power supply in a day was celebrated. The populace had therefore resorted to generating sets as the alternative source of power, with its attendant contribution to air and noise pollution. Nigeria had become a failed state and anarchy had become the custom.
The government was very intolerant of any form of criticism. They proscribed all the pressure groups, tagging them as hoodlums or terrorists, and deregistered all the political parties that challenged their policies.
The National Electoral Commission was at the beck and call of the party in power, closing their eyes to electoral malpractices such as vote buying; ballot snatching and stuffing; mutilation of results; intimidation and harassment of electorate especially those perceived to belong to the opposition parties; and political killings. More people were killed in Nigeria during elections than in countries fighting a war.
Most times, security agents watched helplessly or even partook in the killings and violence in favour of the power that was. There was a time the National Electoral Commission shifted an election and someone said that some people's death had just been shifted and indeed they died at the later date from election violence. And the judges who happened to be part of the society, witnessing all the malpractices and violence, would sit at the election tribunal and claim that election petitions lacked merit. The three arms of government had been collapsed into one – the executive. Democracy had given way to dictatorship.
The law enforcement agents were emboldened by lack of checks and balances. Those that used to be in the barracks had left the barracks. Those that used to be at the borders had also left the borders. Those that operated in the waters and air now preferred the land. They had all left their natural habitats for the streets. They mounted checkpoints everywhere, not to curtail criminals but to extort money from law-abiding citizens who hustled for their daily bread. Many road users had lost their lives to trigger happy security agents just because they refused to give bribes. The civilians were even asked to show receipt for everything including clothes, shoes and phones, and woe betide you if you didn't have the receipts. You automatically became a thief and only God knew what would happen to you afterwards.
Civil servants also capitalized on the lawlessness in the land, demanding bribes before rendering services to fellow citizens. Doctors in charge of managing government hospitals stole money allocated to the hospitals. Teachers stole money allocated to schools. Most teachers also exchanged marks for money and sex. Bankers ripped off their customers. Pharmacists in government establishments embezzled money meant for drugs, thereby leaving patients at the mercy of patent medicine dealers most of who dealt on adulterated and substandard drugs. More Nigerians died from fake drugs than from health conditions. All the sectors of the economy were bedeviled by corruption and inefficiency.
The fish had rotten from the head!
Nigerians who were genuinely concerned and dissatisfied with the bad governance in the country couldn't talk because although freedom of speech was enshrined in the constitution, one's freedom could not be guaranteed after speaking. Those that tried to talk ended up in DSS custody. Those that planned protest were either bought over or harassed by security agencies until they became deaf, dumb and even blind to the nefarious activities of the government.
The brave ones that insisted on antigovernment protests were arrested, detained and eventually charged with treason. The victims were detained beyond the period stipulated by law and even when courts of competent jurisdiction granted them bail, the deceased president and the cabal flouted the court orders. Followers and supporters of these political prisoners who staged protests for their release were dispersed with teargas and on many occasions shot and killed.
The worst part of the mess was that the parliament could do nothing to liberate the people. They were rubberstamp, saying aye to whatever the executive proposed or did. But why would they go against the executive when they were birds of a feather that flocked together. They were all selfish, irresponsible and insensitive politicians who were more interested in enriching themselves at the expense of the masses. They stole the common wealth and stashed it abroad.
The judiciary for their part was talking out of both sides of their mouth. They would grant bail in the morning and deny it in the evening without new charges filed or new evidence tendered. They kept quiet when their judgments were flouted. In fact it was a public knowledge that the judiciary was in bed with the executive.
The last hope of the common man had become his nightmare.
So there was total clampdown on the judiciary, press, civil society, labour unions and opposition.
A tyrant was in power and everyone had been intimidated into silence. So the country slowly but steadily nosedived into the abyss, leaving the citizens in total despair.
One could therefore imagine the joy in the land when the tyrant and clueless president died of heart attack. He had been suffering from an undisclosed chronic disease for which he frequently traveled out of the country on medical tourism. Instead of fixing the hospitals so that the citizens would have access to quality health care, he would rather use taxpayers' money to travel abroad to treat even minor ailments.
The vice president was sworn in immediately as the president, in line with the constitution. In his acceptance speech, he emphasized on his intention to fix the economy, fight insecurity and corruption and of course fix the infrastructure. He promised to select the best hands to help him achieve his goals without minding their tribes, creeds or political affiliations. He would put square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes. He vowed to pay particular attention to human capital development. He hoped to achieve this by revamping the educational sector through adequate funding, training and retraining of teachers. He would also ensure a better welfare package for teachers at all levels and good scholarship schemes for indigent but brilliant students.
He banned political office holders from accessing medical treatment abroad; sending their children to foreign schools; and the use of foreign cars as official vehicles.
"We must patronize our own. That's the only way we can move this country forward." He stated vehemently.
The new president's broadcast was a message of hope to Nigerians. Better days were not ahead. They were here already!
The days that followed saw the new President sack all the ministers and the appointees of the former president. He quickly replaced them with men of honour and integrity; men who had proved themselves worthy both locally and internationally.
"Irresponsible, unresponsive and incompetent people should have no business in government," he reiterated.
Because the new president led by example, the judiciary and legislature joined hands with him and Nigeria started changing for the better.