Lagos — Independent Nigeria is forty years old and many will be celebrating the nation's arrival at an age that traditionally marks the shift from young adulthood to maturity. But is it a Happy Birthday? AllAfrica put that question to six ordinary Nigerians.
"We are living on hope, says Anthonia Okereke, 42, an auxiliary nurse. To this mother of six, Nigeria is like "someone who is going backward, instead of going forward".
As a casual worker at a hospital owned by a federal government parastatal, she works two weeks in a month, and spends the other two out of work. And, with a daily wage of about 400 naira (about $4.00), she says the money she and her family earn now is higher than 120 naira that her husband used to make some 20 years ago.
Yet in those days such an amount could buy a lot for the family. All that changed in 1982, when the civilian government of Shehu Shagari introduced its "austerity measures" a set of stiff fiscal policies by the government that led to a general contraction in the level of economic activity.
The economic depression that followed that measure led to the retrenchment of her husband, whom she married at the age of 13. "He came home one day and said: 'They said there is austerity measure. So the job is ended.'"
Since then, she says, "We have been living on hope - believing that things will get better." But things are getting worse, she says. Her husband is now a self-employed contractor, who supplies safes to offices. But bad times affecting businesses have also hit his business too. Since this year, he has only been able to win two supply contracts.
One of her daughters graduated from the university about three years ago but has been unable to get a job, although she has attended several job interviews, including some with banks. Mrs. Okereke blames this on nepotism, because, "if you are looking for work, you will not get it unless you have someone in the place."
The way forward for the country, she says, is for the leaders to have a change of heart and care for the ordinary people. "Those who are okay do not care for the others." If the leaders love the people, "they will make drugs available in the hospitals."
