When this current administration came into power a few years back, one of the major promises they made to the people was the removal of the fuel subsidy. As a matter of fact, several candidates used it as the crux of their campaign because, according to all of them, the fuel subsidy was directly responsible for the drain on the economy and also the fact that it was being exploited by unscrupulous individuals. The idea was that the money used to subsidize fuel would be turned into other infrastructure that would help make for a better country.
That’s the picture we were sold, and many of us bought it. After all, you have to know that something must be really wrong or really right when all candidates competing for the same position agree on the very same thing. But then, what we didn’t know was that while they all had the same idea, the enactment of said idea was very different for all of them. Well, we didn’t know how the others would have gone, but I know for sure how the winner’s plan went. And I’m not happy at all.
When this administration came into power, one of the very first things that they did was to remove the fuel subsidy- as promised. But you see, the people were not prepared for what it entailed. Things that were being bought cheaply were suddenly increased to three to four times the cost. And in a country that ran mostly on fuel, this affected every area of our lives.
From transportation to business and every other thing, the hike in the price of fuel led to subsequent hikes in the price of other things. People were paying more to go to their places of business, paying more to run their business, paying more to do business; all this translated to the need to charge more! And boy… it was chaotic. What am I even saying? It’s still chaotic!
However, these guys were giving us hope at the time. They told us to calm down, telling us that we had to make sacrifices while the economy recovered and they worked on it. And we’ve been patient. Well, it’s not like we had a choice. We’ve waited and waited. Months and years have passed, and now in a few months we’ll be going back to the polls right back with the same candidates from last year. And what has changed?
Things are harder now. The money that was supposedly saved by subsidy, where is it now? What has it been used for? Because from where I’m sitting, insecurity is still rife, healthcare is still in the gutter, and the economy is still in shambles. The country is in a worse condition than it was years ago before the removal. Somehow though, the rich are getting richer, more money is getting embezzled, and the corrupt are having a field day, milking the country of all the money that they can, gathering more than they and their children will ever be able to spend.
We were told to make sacrifices and give the country time to recover, but that didn’t happen, because the rich and powerful in our midst used all that time to get richer and fat on our national cake. Food that should have nourished the entire nation went into the bellies of only a few of us. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s our reality.
It also makes me wonder if indeed we deserve all this happening to us. Because the most painful thing here is seeing the people who are suffering like you from all this bad governance, seeing them remain blinded by religious and tribal loyalties. Many people are willing to remain in boiling oil simply because their people are the ones who lit the fire. But the tragic truth is, everyone is getting fried, not just them. So, their choice to stay blind and foolish also affects me as well.
I don’t just know. Will 2027 be better for us? Will things only get worse? At this point, it’s getting ridiculously easy to just give up. But for now, let’s keep things positive.
We’ll see how it goes.
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