Nigeria is grappling with many challenges including increased insecurity, religious intolerance, divisions, poor economy, erratic power supply, strike by university professors, accelerated inflation, the depreciation of the naira, high unemployment and over-indebtedness.

Almost on every corner, in buses, offices and streets, the talk on the lips of Nigerians is about religious and ethnic differences, the nation’s rocky economic state and the country’s possible redemption from the collapse.

This becomes more troubling as countries start warning their citizens to travel to Nigeria. The United States has issued such a warning to its citizens, identifying certain high-risk areas in the country where terrorism, kidnappings for ransom and other security threats are rampant.

As insecurity escalates in the North, East and West, with many lives lost to kidnappings, the Boko Haram insurgency and separatist movements, Nigerians are constantly running out of electricity in home and in offices, as huge sums are spent on gasoline and diesel generators. Businesses are frustrated, struggling to operate amid the heavy burden of multiple taxation by government agencies.

Nigeria also carries a heavy debt burden. Its total public debt stock stood at N39. 56 trillion as of December 2021. The country’s growing stock of debt under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is concerning, especially as the government now spends most of its revenue on servicing the debt.

“For example, the federal government generated 3.93 trillion naira in the first eight months of 2021, but used 2.89 trillion naira to service debt during the same period, according to data. official. Additionally, the new figures indicate that the country, which has faced two recessions in four years, has more than doubled its stock of debt since 2016,” BusinessDay said in a recent report.

It just means that Nigeria may not embark on new projects as what little revenue is left after servicing the debt will be used for salaries. Another option is to borrow more.

Discussions about the situation in Nigeria have become commonplace as elections loom next year to elect who Nigerians believe will transform and redeem the country. Many Nigerians who voted out of sentiment in previous elections are biting their fingers and ready to correct such mistakes in the interest of the nation, even when politicians on the stock market offer them money to influence their decisions. But it is doubtful that many Nigerians will stick to that as hunger bites the land.

Last month, Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto state, in whose state thugs made laws to kill Deborah Samuel on a blasphemy charge, agreed that Nigeria was on the brink.

He said: “The issue of insecurity, of disunity calls on all of us, men and women of good will, to unite and save the country; Nigeria is on the cliff. We have never seen this kind of situation before where our unity is so threatened, where corruption has been taken to a new level. It is no longer safe to move freely in the country.

“We have seen the Accountant General help himself declare the money as claimed. Nigeria is on the brink and we must do everything to save it.

Tambuwal, in his address to Lagos delegates at a town hall meeting in Ikeja, said the country was in a precarious situation which required urgent intervention from committed and focused leaders to save it from total collapse. .

For many Nigerians, the country has never been more divided along tribal and religious lines than it is today.

As admitted by other stakeholders, although Nigeria has had ethnicity issues, the situation is getting worse day by day and this is pushing it further to the brink.

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For stakeholders, the past few years are wasted with no tangible development to show, as other African countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda surpass Nigeria in terms of attracting investment.

“It’s the darker side of Nigeria’s crescent moon; it was simply too opaque for even the best of prophets to have had a forecast of our arrival at the junction of confusion and degrading destination. The entity called Nigeria has never before been home to that multitude of dispossessed, insulted, assaulted, hungry, angry, desperate, helpless, neglected and worse still, abandoned people who, at the whim of Buhari’s administration, are called Nigerians. said Tope Musowo, a public reporter. business commentator, said.

Nigerians who are also worried about the poor state of the nation, reflected in the declaration of Nigeria as the capital of poverty by the World Poverty Clock in 2018, have called for a restructuring of the country as a solution to put Nigeria on the a gradual trajectory. But there is opposition to the thought as some regions want the status quo that has kept Nigeria stagnant for years.

Nonetheless, some Nigerians are hoping for the emergence of a “messiah”, perhaps through the ballot box in 2023 to open a new chapter for the country. Currently, some Nigerians seem willing to vote for those they deem credible to steer the affairs of the country, but there are still fears that their votes will count, given past experiences and the endemic corruption in the system.

Kunle Okunade, a political analyst, said: “Obviously the country is in a comatose state seeking redemption before total collapse. No sector is working as expected. The system does not work for the benefit of the common man except for the few who exploit the nation’s scarce resources. There is no doubt that we cannot go on like this; there must be a fundamental change to save the country.

“Look around you, people are managing to survive; the situation is difficult, but I think we have the opportunity to make this necessary change next year. The decision on the future of the country rests with the Nigerians. Nigerians must come out and exercise their right to vote in the 2023 general elections by electing the right leaders to take the country to the next level.

“Obviously the problem in Nigeria is purely leadership; there’s no reason for us to be here, given our resources, but I don’t think just sitting around and watching wouldn’t solve anything. We have to get involved if we want to save things.

Observers say what Nigeria needs are concrete steps to rescue the nation from the brink, consciously reunite and integrate the country and take public relations measures to build the country’s image at home and abroad. for tourism and investment. As the 2023 elections approach, proven politicians with economic and administrative acumen who can unite Nigeria should be elected, lest Nigeria collapse.