The change I see

‘Kai, Nigerians are hypocrites. How can anybody place an expensive wrap-around advert, in a newspaper celebrating what is clearly not true?’ The lady sitting next to me at the school reception room observed. She held the newspaper in her hand, showing me the cover page.

‘What is not true?’ I asked, looking at the paper in her hand and reading the headline. ‘Isn’t it true that yesterday was democracy day?’ I added.

‘Yes it was, but what was there to celebrate? Why should we believe May 29th is worth the trouble when we have nothing to show for it?’ She replied.

‘So would you rather we mark another day as democracy day or that we don’t do it all together?’ I enquired.

‘Of course we should not do it all together. Why deceive ourselves that things are rosy when deep down we know that we are only suffering and smiling. What we have had to go through, in the last two years, is disastrous. And yet some politicians would rather have us believe we are in paradise. Luckily we do not judge by what they say, rather by what we feel. And what we feel now is a lot of suffering.’ She explained.

‘With all due respect Hajiya,’ I said, looking at her ‘nothing about you shows signs of suffering. You simply look chubby and elegant, two vital signs of a good life.’ I observed, smiling.

‘Maybe my face doesn’t show it but my soul is definitely in a lot of pain. In the last two years I have seen our standard of living descending with each passing month, till I can’t recognise my home as the happy and comfortable home I used to know. It used to be that every Ramadan, I would go to the market with nothing less than a million naira, just for our Sallah-Eid clothing. I would buy only Super Wax Vlisco for myself and my daughters and accompany that with beautiful expensives laces. For my sons, I used to buy only Getzner brocade. Each of us will have between four to five sets of clothes for Sallah. Now, last year we descended to two sets each but do you know what happened this year?’ She asked me.

‘You are now down to one set each?’ I offered.

‘No no, its much worse than that. This year we can’t afford anything expensive. We are down to the cheapest clothes around because the whole lot of us have to manage only N100,000. You need to see me at the market yesterday. I was buying for myself and my daughters the kind of clothes I used to buy for only our house-helps. My boys had to descend from their Getzner wardrobe to China brocade. I almost cried when I reached home and began to share the clothes to them. My heart went out to them when I saw them happily collecting clothes we never knew we would ever wear before. But such is life, we have now seen the kind of change they promised us. We have seen change from a life of decency amd comfort to one of near poverty.’ She concluded. 

‘But, what did you use to do that you could afford the luxury you no longer have?’ I asked carefully.

‘I was and still am a full-time house wife. But my husband was a successful businessman, a contractor. He used to have government contracts regularly and were always living in comfort. Then these ‘change-agents’ came and the contracts stopped coming. Some of those he did under the former government weren’t even paid for. We continued to live off our savings until we reached the stage we are now. Today whatever we ask for he’ll say his priorities are food and the children’s school fees. And that is why we’ve been cutting down so drastically on all expenses. Which chiefly means we have to stop dressing like we used to and begin to look like paupers. Can you believe that today, I have to wait for one designer perfume to finish before I can buy another? Before, my whole dressing table used to be filled with only designer perfumes. I didn’t even use to buy them here because we were always travelling abroad. But look at us now. And they want to tell me we have something to celebrate on May 29th? No Hajiya, I can’t see it?’ She lamented.

‘I’m sorry to hear this Hajiya but borrow a leaf from your children and happily embrace the change in your lives. You said they were happy about their cheap sallah clothes, that’s the spirit really. One should learn to accept change positively and also learn to count other blessings. For instance, there are people who can’t even afford new Sallah clothes but you still can.

As for your belief that we have nothing to celebrate on May 29th. I really don’t agree with you. When this government came in, the country was at war with murderous insurgents. Today there is only a shadow of that insurgency. The areas they colonised have been liberated, over 100 of the kidnapped Chibok school girls have been found and so many dead and forgotten industries are being revived. You must also remember that all the financial woes we are experiencing today are inherited from the last few administrations’ corrupt and extravagant ways. To correct such anomalies is always a painful process. Additionally, the new government was unfortunately welcomed by falling oil prices. You do know that the country’s chief revenue earner is crude oil don’t you? Well we are earning much less from it now and that probably explains why your husband’s contracts fees have not been paid. Do you understand the point I’m making Hajiya?’ I asked her.

‘I understand just one thing’ she said, looking straight at me ‘you are a member of the current ruling party.’ She alleged.

To be continued.