They say the past is a lesson, not a prison. But what happens when a nation keeps failing the same test? In Nigeria, the shadows of 1983 are slowly crawling back into the present. Economic hardship, public frustration, and a growing distrust in leadership. It all just looks eerily familiar.
From 1983 to 1999, Nigeria lost 16 years of democracy to military rule. The coup that started it all was fueled by corruption, economic collapse, and public anger. Today, we are walking dangerously close to that same cliff. And history, as they say, is watching.
In December 1983, Nigeria woke up to news that its democracy had been overthrown. The horrible thing about it is that they come in with promises familiar— to end corruption, restore order, fix the economy. What followed instead was over a decade of military rule, repression, and decline. Four decades later, many signs point to déjà vu.
Here's a quick run-down of the 1983–1999 timeline of Military Dominance, with just One Failed Democratic Transition:
Reliving the past
Today, we have the same greedy politicians biting away at the life of this country and its economy. We have people leading us who don't care about the people, old men swollen with too much power, who have no idea how to put it to good use.
Same public frustration, economic decline, and hardship, and the growing distrust in corrupt leaders.
I read a book that said war was a part of peace, and watched a video that showed a perfect chart of the historical fall of different world powers and the emergence of different nations as the new world power.
I can remember so many things in the chart that just kept on repeating themselves, including the significant trade war between the United States of America and China.
Of course, I hope and do pray that what seems inevitable is stopped by a miracle or something. But the thought of World War III looming even closer is a scary reality. Because one thing is for sure, if we can't break this cycle, the consequences would be worse than the past.
