Will Nigerians suffer till 2019?

When Buhari was sworn in on May 29, 2015, the hope in the air was palpable and many Nigerians believed that the change they desired had finally come.

One year later, however, the story has changed. The country seems to be worse than it was before Buhari took over.

Citizens were forced to endure a prolonged fuel scarcity and just as they were coming out of that, the government increased the price of fuel from N86 to N145.

The electricity situation has worsened and the cost of food and transportation has increased.

Killer Fulani herdsmen are on the rampage and new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers is blowing up pipelines every other day.

The cost of foreign exchange to the naira is unbelievable and according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the country is heading for a recession due to a delay in passing the budget.

American publication, Business Insider says Nigeria is heading for a “full-blown economic crisis” and prominent lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba says that the country is already in a depression.

In the midst of all this, Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose has predicted that Nigerians will suffer till 2019, which is when the next general elections will hold.

“Nigerians should be reminded that the manner of hardship being faced now was also faced during Buhari’s first coming as a military dictator when people had to queue for essential commodities. Now, Nigerians can’t even afford common tomato to prepare soup,” Fayose said via a statement released on Wednesday, May 25, 2016.

“So Nigerians you have heard the truth: under Buhari/APC, it is almost certain that our suffering will continue till 2019.

“Nigerians, remember I warned you before Buhari was elected; I have been warning you since Buhari became president and I am warning now that if nothing is done urgently, the economy of Nigeria will collapse,” he added.

Many Nigerians believe that hope is lost and some who voted for Buhari have been made to feel like they made a mistake.

However, it will do us all good to remember that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government robbed us blind and did nothing to move Nigeria forward.

In 2015, Nigerians united to chase out a gang of marauders and hooligans who had begun to believe that our money was theirs for the taking and that was a great achievement.

The Buhari government has made many mistakes, but getting them into office was a sign that power has finally been transferred to its rightful owners, the Nigerian people.

If the Buhari government fails to deliver before 2019, they will be pushed out just like Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP were.

Until then however, it is necessary for Nigerians to be filled with hope that one day we will have the country that we, and our children, truly deserve.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

God bless Nigeria.