By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Lagos for Abuja this evening, ending a six-day visit to Nigeria’s former seat of government.

Tinubu arrived in Lagos on Tuesday, September 29, after spending his annual vacation in London and Paris.

While in Lagos, the President addressed the nation on October 1 to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day anniversary. Later that day, he attended the National Premiere of MKO, a documentary on the life, political struggle and enduring legacy of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola and the historic June 12 pro-democracy struggle. The event was held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts.

On Sunday, President Tinubu visited the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Babatunde Akiolu, at his Iga Iduganran Palace on Lagos Island.

The President’s return to Abuja was announced in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy).

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a thorough investigation into Monday morning’s crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft near a naval base in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State.

The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred, according to a State House statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Tinubu expressed profound sadness over the incident and extended his deepest condolences to the families of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved, as well as to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and all officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.

“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the President said.

He said the Chief of Air Staff had briefed him on the crash and that he had directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into its cause to prevent future occurrences.

Tinubu commended the Nigerian Air Force for activating an immediate Search and Rescue operation after the accident. He also praised the swift response of first responders and the Ondo State Government at the crash site.

The President prayed for the repose of the souls of the gallant officers and asked God to grant their families and the Nigerian Air Force the fortitude to bear the loss.

He assured the Nigerian Air Force of the continued support of his administration as it continues its vital role in securing the nation.

By Maji Bappa Maina


Infrastructure becomes particularly significant when it reaches the places where limited connectivity has constrained economic and social activity.

This is the context in which Yobe’s expanding network of rural access roads deserves closer examination.

Across the state, new road connections are emerging between communities that have historically depended on difficult routes to reach larger settlements, markets, farms and essential services.

These are not primarily urban roads designed to reshape city traffic.

They are rural access roads, and their significance lies in the connections they create beyond the major centres.

Under the administration of Governor Mai Mala Buni, a number of such roads have been constructed, while others are at different stages of development.

The emerging network includes the new road from Potiskum to Ngojin; Potiskum to Degubi; Fadawa to Daya; Fika to Maluri; Damagum to Gubana; Dawasa to Kukuri; Danchua to Jajere; Ngelzarma to Mashio; Bingel to Danchua; Damaturu to Gambir; Bukarti to Toshia; Karasuwa to Galu; Balangua to Kumagannam; Chumbosko to Tagali; the road to Dagona; Nguru to Balangua; Gashua to Masaba; and Gujba to Ngalda, which is ongoing.

Taken together, these routes suggest something larger than a collection of isolated construction projects.

They point towards an attempt to improve the geography of access across Yobe by bringing rural communities into stronger physical connection with the wider economy.

Why Rural Access Matters

For many rural communities, the road is the first link in a much longer development chain.

A farmer may produce enough food but struggle to reach a profitable market. A trader may have demand for goods but face high transportation costs. A student may live relatively close to an educational institution yet experience difficulty reaching it.

A patient may need medical attention but encounter delays because the journey itself is difficult.

In each case, the problem is not necessarily the absence of opportunity. Sometimes, it is the difficulty of reaching it.

This raises an important question: what happens to a rural economy when physical access begins to improve?

The answer cannot be assumed. It has to be observed through changes in transportation, agricultural marketing, movement of people, access to services and local economic activity.

Roads and the Rural Economy

Yobe’s rural economy makes connectivity particularly important.

Agricultural production does not end at the farm gate. Produce must move from farms to collection points, markets and larger commercial centres.

The condition of the connecting road can influence the cost, speed and reliability of that movement.

The new routes linking communities such as Potiskum and Ngojin, Ngelzarma and Mashio, Nguru and Balangua, Gashua and Masaba, and Fadawa and Daya therefore deserve to be viewed through an economic lens.

Their potential significance extends beyond transportation.

Better connectivity can create stronger relationships between producers, traders and consumers.

A rural road can consequently become part of an economic system rather than simply a physical structure.

Extending Development Beyond Urban Centres

There is also a geographical dimension to the intervention.

Public investment naturally receives greater visibility in major towns, where large populations and public institutions are concentrated.

Rural infrastructure presents a different challenge: its beneficiaries are more dispersed, and its impact may be less immediately visible.

Yet development becomes broader when infrastructure reaches beyond administrative and commercial centres.

The road from Damagum to Gubana, for example, or the connections involving Danchua, Jajere, Bingel, Bukarti, Toshia, Karasuwa, Galu, Balangua and Kumagannam, are important precisely because they extend connectivity into communities outside the major urban corridors.

The significance of such projects should therefore be considered in terms of inclusion, mobility and opportunity.

The Question of Development Impact

However, constructing rural roads should not be the final measure of success.

The more important assessment begins after the road becomes usable.

Are journey times falling? Are transport costs becoming more manageable? Are farmers reaching markets more easily? Are communities gaining better access to schools and health facilities? Is commercial activity increasing along these routes?

These are the questions that can turn infrastructure statistics into evidence of development.

For that reason, the long-term evaluation of Yobe’s rural road programme should move beyond the number of projects completed.

It should examine what these roads are changing in the lives and economic activities of the communities they connect.

From Connectivity to Opportunity

The broader significance of rural access infrastructure is that it can reduce the physical barriers separating communities from opportunity.

A road connecting Gujba to Ngalda, for instance, has a different development significance from a conventional urban road.

Its importance is rooted in the communities and economic spaces it brings closer together.

The fact that the route is still ongoing also highlights the need to view infrastructure as a process whose ultimate value becomes clearer after completion and sustained use.

The same principle applies across the wider network.

When rural communities become better connected, movement becomes easier; when movement becomes easier, economic interaction can expand; and when economic interaction expands, new possibilities may emerge.

This is why rural roads deserve to be considered within the broader conversation about development in Yobe.

Beyond the Road Itself

The emerging rural access network under Governor Mai Mala Buni presents an interesting case for examining how infrastructure can influence development outside the major urban centres.

Its importance will ultimately depend on more than construction.

Maintenance, road quality, accessibility throughout the seasons and the economic activities generated around the routes will determine whether the initial investment produces lasting value.

The real measure of these roads will therefore be found in the communities they connect.

If a farmer reaches a market with less difficulty, a trader moves goods at lower cost, a student travels more easily, or a patient reaches a health facility sooner, the road has acquired a meaning beyond concrete, earthwork and engineering.

It has become a pathway to participation.

And perhaps that is the more important story emerging from Yobe’s rural roads, development is gradually extending into the spaces between the major towns, one connection at a time.


Maji Bappa Maina is a Voice of Development, Leadership and public Insight agent and he writes from Yobe State Nigeria

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Nigerian Air Force has confirmed that an ATR-42 aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, 2026, while on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.

The NAF, in a statement by its Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said it had commenced immediate search and rescue operations in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies.

“The Nigerian Air Force has commenced an immediate Search and Rescue operation following an ATR-42 aircraft accident in Igbokoda Area of Ondo State on 5th October 2026,” the statement said.

The Air Force clarified that the aircraft involved was an ATR-42, not a helicopter as initially reported. It did not disclose the number of people on board or whether there were casualties.

The confirmation followed an earlier SaharaReporters report that residents feared several people dead after an aircraft believed to be a helicopter crashed in the coastal community. A resident said the incident caused panic in Igbokoda.

Ondo State Police Command spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh had said he was unaware of the incident but would make inquiries.

Igbokoda is a riverine community and commercial hub in Ilaje, one of Ondo State’s oil-producing areas, and is also used for aviation operations connected to the oil and gas industry. Further details are expected as search and rescue efforts continue.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has asked political appointees who are dissatisfied with his administration to resign from their positions.

Lawal made the remark on Saturday during an All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Gusau.

The governor was responding to complaints from some party stakeholders, including political appointees, youths and women, who expressed concerns about alleged neglect and inadequate welfare.

“There are some political office holders who complain that they have not gotten anything. That is not true. Even among the commissioners, anyone who feels he is not getting anything should resign,” Lawal said.

The governor also called on members of the APC in Zamfara to put an end to factional politics and unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“From today, please, let us stop the politics of so-and-so’s houses. Let us come together as one party with the same vision. The talk of Dauda’s house, Matawalle’s house or Shehi’s house should stop,” he said.

Lawal further disclosed that he would meet with former governors of the state as part of efforts to harmonise and compile the names of members for the APC campaign council ahead of the 2027 elections.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Eight members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly have resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing worsening insecurity, alleged injustice and the failure to pay their salaries and allowances.

The lawmakers announced their decision in a statement on Sunday, accusing the party and the state administration of failing to adequately address security challenges affecting residents across the state.

Those who resigned are Aliyu Kagara, representing Talata Mafara South; Ibrahim Bakura, representing Bakura; Faruk Dosara, representing Maradun I; and Bashir Masama, representing Bukkuyum North.

Others are Muktaru Kaura, representing Kaura North; Nasiru Abdullahi, representing Maru North; Bashar Bello, representing Bungudu West; and Bashar Aliyu, representing Gummi I.

The lawmakers also cited what they described as a worsening welfare situation affecting them and their constituents.

Kagara said the lawmakers had gone 32 months without receiving salaries, allowances and other entitlements.

“This is our 32 months without salary, allowances and other entitlements as honourable members and the people of Zamfara; the ball is in their court,” he said.

He added, “Whether they enjoy what is happening or not, they are in the best position to take action, and they need not be told.”

Kagara also accused the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal of failing to adequately address insecurity, particularly in rural communities.

“What we are challenging Governor Lawal’s administration about is even worse now compared to previous times, so we have seen no reason to continue remaining in the APC,” he said.

“Our constituents in rural areas who voted us into power to address their security concerns were not being given any attention.”

However, the APC said it had not received official copies of the lawmakers’ resignation letters.

The party’s Publicity Secretary in Zamfara, Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, said the APC had only seen the letters on social media and was awaiting official communication through the lawmakers’ respective political wards and local government executives.

“We are still waiting for their correspondence from their respective political wards after reaching their local government executives, which would later be forwarded to us,” Birnin-Magaji told Daily Trust.

The APC spokesperson added, “We all saw it on social media platforms, but whenever we receive the copies officially, we would communicate with you on our stand.”

According to Birnin-Magaji, the party was not aware of any grievances from the lawmakers before the resignation letters emerged.

The lawmakers were reportedly suspended by the APC before their resignation over allegations that they attempted to remove the Speaker of the state House of Assembly about a year ago.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has formally appointed 56-year-old Suleiman Kum as the new Head of its Nigeria National Office.

Kum, who previously served as Deputy Registrar in the Head of National Office’s department, was Senior Deputy Registrar in charge of Test Administration before the end of August.

He succeeds Dr Amos Dangut, whose three-year tenure as Head of the Nigeria National Office ended on October 1, 2026. Dangut has since taken up the position of Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of WAEC.

The appointment was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by Moyosola Adesina, Head of Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria.

Adesina described Kum as “a seasoned test developer, administrator and executive”. He joined WAEC on July 17, 1998, as Assistant Registrar II.

Throughout his career, Kum has held several positions across the council, with responsibilities covering examination security, test administration, branch management and technological innovation.

WAEC said Kum pioneered “Variable Data Printing and enhanced code-security features in security printing, replacing council-wide attendance systems with facial-recognition biometric devices and leading the seamless delivery of Achievement Tests using the Computer-Based Examination mode.”

The council said his experience includes test development, examination administration, examination security and the management of branch and zonal offices.

“Throughout his career, he has driven administrative and technological innovations, including establishing the Gusau office as a Custodial Centre,” it stated.

Kum, who is from Plateau State, obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). He is also pursuing a Master of Education in Educational Administration and Planning at the institution.

His previous assignments include Assistant Registrar II/Head, Exams Security, Awka; Assistant Registrar I/Head, Exams Security, Yola; Assistant Registrar I/Head, Exams Security, Makurdi; Senior Assistant Registrar I/Branch Controller, Gusau; and Principal Assistant Registrar/Branch Controller, Kano.

He also served as Deputy Registrar/Head of the Security Printing Department; Deputy Registrar/Zonal Coordinator, Port Harcourt; Deputy Registrar/Zonal Coordinator, Ikeja; Director of Administration; and Senior Deputy Registrar/Test Administration.

The council said Kum’s work over the years had earned him several commendations and awards.

“Throughout his eventful career, Mr Kum has shown integrity, diligence, innovation and a strong commitment to service. His leadership across various portfolios has earned him numerous institutional commendations, accolades and awards within the Council and beyond,” it added.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Kidnappers holding prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have reportedly reduced their ransom demand from N50 million to N5 million per victim.

The revised demand brings the total ransom being sought for the 20 abducted graduates from N1 billion to N100 million, according to information from the victims’ families.

The development came as relatives of the victims raised concerns over their safety, alleging that the abductors had subjected some of the captives to physical assault.

One of the affected parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the kidnappers had reduced the demand but that the families remained deeply concerned about the condition of their children.

“The kidnappers had reduced their demand from the earlier N50m per victim to N5m each,” she said.

“They are still demanding N5m. They have come down to N5m each.”

The prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State on Thursday.

The victims included graduates whose names were released by their parents during a visit to the residence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, in Bodija, Ibadan.

Among those identified were Makinde Mary Oluwapelumi, Akande Kehinde Morufat, Abdul Temiloluwa Sarah, Adeniran Mariam Olulola, Adefioye Ayomide Isaac, Adewale Paul Iyanuoluwa and Oyede Esther Funmilayo.

The parents also disputed earlier claims that 10 passengers had been rescued by security operatives, saying those who escaped the attackers did so by running into the bush.

Akande said she could not confirm how much had been raised by the families towards the ransom because she was not involved in the arrangements between the abductors and the other parents.

“I cannot say because I do not know how much they have told those people that they have,” she said.

Describing the ordeal, she said, “It has been horrible, scary and overwhelming.”

She added that the situation became more distressing after the families learnt that the captives were allegedly being beaten.

“Sir, we appeal to the government at all levels to please assist us in getting them rescued out of that place. They have started beating them since yesterday,” she said.

Asked whether the female victims were also being assaulted, Akande said:

“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she said.

She further alleged that one of the victims had been allowed to speak with his father, with the kidnappers using the communication to assess the family’s ability to pay the ransom.

“The abductors would alert the victim whenever his father’s call came in and allow him to speak because they believed the father could provide the ransom. His father has been communicating with him. The kidnappers give him access to a telephone. Whenever his father calls, they show him that a call came in for you. He would just say, ‘Oh, that’s my father.’

“They know money will come out of father’s hands, so they would just pick it and allow him to talk. And they have been beating him. They have been beating all of them.”

The parent said families had been relying on assurances from the police while efforts continued to secure the victims’ release.

“The police are telling us to still be buying time. We are still looking for the money. Depending, they will see them rescued,” she said.

Calls For Government Action

The abduction has triggered calls from political parties and public figures for the immediate rescue of the prospective corps members, as well as renewed debate over the safety of the NYSC scheme.

The African Democratic Congress called for the suspension of the NYSC scheme for one year to allow the Federal Government to reorganise the programme and strengthen security measures.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the scheme remained important to national unity but argued that the current security situation required a temporary suspension and review.

“I think the NYSC is still relevant. But I think we need to respond to the current situation of insecurity in the country.

“If we were to advise the President, we think this is the time to suspend it for at least one year to give room for proper reorganisation, in such a way that it will protect the young people and also make the scheme worthwhile for them.

“Beyond that, it is a very important scheme for fostering national unity. The issues that the NYSC sought to address since it was created in 1973, at the end of the Civil War, are still there. So, we think it remains relevant.

“But we need to be responsible. We need to understand that it is also about the lives of other people, more than anything else. It is a different country today from what it was many years ago,” he said.

Abdullahi also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity and President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address, expressing his own party’s position on the government’s response.

Other political parties, including the National Democratic Congress, Labour Party, Social Democratic Party and Young Progressives Party, also condemned the abduction and called for stronger action to secure the victims’ release.

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, also called for the immediate and safe rescue of the abducted prospective corps members.

“The abduction of approximately 20 prospective NYSC members travelling to their orientation camp is yet another distressing indication of the worsening insecurity in our country. These young Nigerians were preparing to serve their nation, but they were unable to travel safely on our roads. Families are increasingly burdened by the fear that their loved ones could fall victim to kidnapping.

“Protecting lives and property is the government’s foremost responsibility. We cannot continue to regard insecurity as an ordinary occurrence or act only after people’s lives have been disrupted.

“I call for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest of those responsible. Nigeria must become a country where young people can travel, work, and serve their nation without fear,” he wrote.

The management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, also expressed concern after learning that some of its graduates were among those reportedly abducted.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Razaq Kalilu, called for coordinated action by security agencies to secure the victims’ release.

“The University stands firmly with the affected families at this deeply distressing moment.

“This is a painful and deeply troubling development for the University and, most importantly, for the families of our graduates and the other young Nigerians whose lives have been so cruelly disrupted. Our immediate and overriding concern is their safety and safe return to their families,” he said.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir 

A viral video showing Chinese passengers covering their noses around an African woman has triggered a heated debate online over racism, cultural differences and the use of perfume.

The woman, identified on X as Teebebe (@Acupoftii_), appeared to interpret the passengers’ reaction as racist. The video has since attracted widespread attention, with social media users offering competing explanations for the behaviour.

One of those responding was X user Zhao DaShuai, who argued that the incident may have had less to do with race and more to do with the strength of the woman’s perfume.

“It’s your perfume,” Zhao wrote.

He said many East Asians carry a variant of the ABCC11 gene linked to reduced production of certain compounds associated with underarm odour. According to Zhao, this may mean people in East Asia are less accustomed to strong fragrances.

The claim has prompted further debate, with some users questioning whether covering one’s nose should be interpreted as evidence of racial discrimination, while others argue that the gesture could have been a simple reaction to an unfamiliar smell.

Scientists have established a relationship between variations in the ABCC11 gene and differences in underarm odour, although the prevalence of the relevant variants varies considerably between populations.

The genetic explanation, however, does not establish why the passengers in the video covered their noses. Nor does the video, by itself, provide enough context to determine whether the behaviour was motivated by racism, discomfort with a strong fragrance, or another reason.

The incident has nevertheless revived an online conversation about race, personal fragrance and cultural differences in perceptions of smell, highlighting how an apparently ordinary gesture can carry very different meanings across cultural and racial contexts.

By Usman My. Shehu

“No Condition Is Permanent” is the title of a chapter in Martin Meredith’s The State of Africa. Meredith took the phrase from the words routinely painted on the bodies and flanks of vehicles across Africa. It is a familiar expression, much like seeing an African football fan wearing an oversized jersey bearing the name of a favourite footballer.

This is, in some ways, who we are and what we sometimes do: we turn even difficult circumstances into jokes, humour, slogans, or expressions of endurance. Sometimes, we laugh at dire situations not because they are funny, but because laughter is one of the ways we survive them.

Yet this piece is ultimately about hope, as the proverb suggests: no condition is permanent.

It is shocking to read and learn that, in Nigeria, it can be so difficult to find something to be optimistic about—something hopeful enough to cling to while trying to escape the cauldron of despair. At times, finding hope in my dear country feels like looking for a black cat in a dark room. But as long as we continue searching for that cat, there remains a possibility that we will eventually find it.

So we keep hope alive. Please do so, abeg.

Meredith’s book was written more than a decade ago, yet many of the problems he described remain painfully familiar, despite pockets of progress here and there. What we continue to hear are grand economic phrases and complicated macroeconomic arguments that can sometimes feel difficult to digest, especially on an empty stomach.

One paragraph in the book deserves particular mention:

«“…the economy was derelict; public services were chronically inefficient; schools and hospitals were decaying; higher education had virtually collapsed; roads were pitted with potholes; the telephone system hardly functioned. There were frequent power cuts; even shortages of domestic petroleum supplies…”»

Reading those words today is uncomfortable because, although Nigeria has undoubtedly changed in many respects, some of the underlying frustrations remain recognisable. We have made progress in certain areas, but progress has often been uneven, fragile, or insufficient to transform the everyday experience of ordinary people.

And then there are the tragedies that make the proverb “no condition is permanent” painfully difficult to apply.

How does “no condition is permanent” become a source of hope for the families of the young men who reportedly died a day after their detention in NSCDC custody? Reports alleged that a chemical substance was sprayed into the cell where they had been detained and that they subsequently suffocated.

Their families may continue to hope for answers, accountability, and justice. But for the deceased, there is no return to the life that was taken from them. Their condition is, tragically, permanent.

Still, their relatives must not be condemned to die a little every day with their grief. If justice is pursued thoroughly and transparently, perhaps the loss can at least become a catalyst for accountability and institutional reform. Their case, if the allegations are established through proper investigation, would be a salutary reminder of what happens when institutions fail in their most basic responsibility: protecting human life.

Unemployment and underemployment are almost as old as the rocks. Our leaders know these problems—perhaps better than they know the backs of their own hands.

Yet recruitment into public institutions continues to generate concerns about nepotism, ethnicity, regional balancing, and the inconsistent application of merit. The constitutional principle of federal character was designed, among other things, to promote a sense of inclusion and equitable representation, but its implementation remains contentious.

And then there is the familiar Nigerian reality: knowing someone can sometimes matter as much as—or even more than—what you know.

In both the public and private sectors, networks and connections can influence opportunities, though the problem is particularly frustrating when access to public employment is perceived to depend on patronage rather than transparent processes. In such an environment, a person can know all the books in the world and still find the door to employment firmly closed.

Insecurity has also become a recurring feature of our daily news. As I write this on September 29, 2026, Daily Trust carries the headline: “2 weeks after, abducted Zamfara imams yet to be released.”

That is only one report among many.

Nigerians have endured abductions, killings, displacement, and prolonged uncertainty, while armed groups continue to operate in parts of the country. Behind every statistic is a family waiting for a loved one to return, a community trying to rebuild, or a child whose understanding of normal life has been permanently altered.

The natural consequence of many of these problems is multidimensional poverty. For millions of Nigerians, the question is not an abstract debate about poverty rates or macroeconomic indicators. It is whether there is enough food on the table today. It is whether a farmer can reach the farm safely. It is whether a child can remain in school. It is whether a family can afford transport to another city, pay medical bills, or simply survive the month without borrowing.

Statistics from the World Bank, the IMF, the National Bureau of Statistics, and other institutions have their place. They help us understand the scale and direction of economic problems.

But statistics should not obscure lived experience.

A person who goes to bed hungry does not experience inflation as a percentage; they experience it as an empty plate. A parent who cannot afford school fees does not experience unemployment as a labour-market indicator; they experience it as a closed door for their child.

Our circumstances are sufficiently serious that the major sectors of national life deserve sustained, urgent attention. Education, healthcare, security, infrastructure, electricity, employment, and food security cannot be treated as peripheral matters. They are the foundation upon which a functioning society rests.

The government often tells Nigerians that reforms take time. That may be true: structural reforms rarely produce their full benefits overnight, and some necessary changes are inevitably painful before their effects become visible.

But there is another truth that cannot be ignored: a hungry person cannot eat promises of future prosperity.

Reforms must therefore be judged not only by their intentions but also by their implementation, their distributional effects, and the extent to which ordinary Nigerians can actually feel improvements in their lives. Patience becomes difficult to demand from people who are already struggling to survive.

Still, no condition is permanent.

That phrase should not become an excuse for complacency, nor should it be used to ask Nigerians to endure suffering indefinitely. It should instead be a reminder that circumstances can change—and that human beings have a responsibility to help change them.

Nigeria has endured worse moments and survived them. We have seen institutions improve, businesses emerge, communities organise, individuals overcome extraordinary circumstances, and citizens continue to create possibilities in places where the state has sometimes fallen short.

Hope, therefore, should not mean pretending that everything is fine.

Hope is the decision to believe that things can be better—and to participate in making them better.

Nigerians deserve better. We deserve better.

And perhaps the most important part of the proverb is not merely that no condition is permanent, but that the conditions we refuse to accept do not have to remain unchanged forever.

Usman M. Shehu writes from Kano and he can be reached via usmanmujtabashehu@gmail.com.