‘Tunji Solomon
BEYOND the rhetorics lie the agony of the masses in solitude, in silence, personal losses and pains. The year was slow in the beginning. It looked like it won’t end any time soon. Like the eruption of volcano, it moved and fast-forwarded its existence when the year walked past the half of its journey.
IN its bowel lies various issue and national distractions activated by self-affliction. The leaders failed to act on issues at hand, rather, they pursued frivolities at the expense of national interests. The Senate worked itself up with romantic affairs this writer will not like to give life to here. In-between, the nation burns as it tries to find her paths to nationhood, especially when Rivers State was given a taste of State of Emergency. It was an avoidable situation, but became inevitable. Such is our story once again.
SIMILARLY, in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, there were deadly terrorist attacks. In Kebbi State, questionable kidnappings took place which made Federal Government schools be placed on holiday to curb likely repeat of Kebbi State scenario. Sadly, kidnapping continued in other places in Nigeria. Tragic too, was the lost of lives of promising corps members, who were ill-fated in multiple road accident enroute their state of deployment. They died for a nation who knows little about their existence. That’s the ultimate price to pay without reward beyond coffins and national flag robed around it. Kindly forget the monetary attachment. It cannot commensurate with lost lives, lost dreams and lost destinies.
LIKE Victor Asama’s Tragedy of Victory, nothing to laugh home about except political corruption and sleeze of the privileged class. Along the line, DANGOTE refinery unleashed another load of national issue on us. We were brought to the table we didn’t want to dine again, with corrupt practices among those who should man the national treasury through Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), allegedly by DANGOTE himself. It is a story we don’t want to open its pages in 2026. There are ugly scenes too beyond the economic space of Nigeria.
HORRIBLE enough, like a cat with nine lives, the insecurity with its siblings: terrorism, kidnapping and banditry; continue to walk in our psychological space and dominate physical boundaries. The nation is messed up within global space with ignominy and nationally shame, when the United States President, Donald Trump, declared Nigeria as a nation of concern, a nation of interest. A sort of allusion to military weakness in fighting and combating terrorism within our national boundaries. Once again, once beaten, twice shy.
HIS declaration was premised on Christians being killed by terrorists in northern Nigeria. The issue not only makes Nigerians speak out , it shakes the nation and makes the leaders listen to the members of the public for the first time. The rest of the world focuses on Nigeria like a man with leprosy. On Christmas Day, the terrorists were given Christmas gift with arrays of missiles and related deadly military snacks.
OVERALL, the masses gnash their teeths in agony and frustration, with hunger walking tall; more forlorn than before. The rhetorics continue from the government officials: they raised our hope and dash it with unfulfilled promises. Nothing is expected from the government more than the noise over the 2027 National Elections as we move to 2026.
The GUEST COLUMNISTS cannot but salute the courage, resilience and stamina of Nigerian masses. Like the classic poem: The Causalities; we are all casualties of Nigeria’s national mess. Hope 2026 will come with good tidings for Nigeria and Nigerians. Happy new year in advance. See you in 2026!
– Culled from: The GUEST COLUMNISTS, December 31, 2025. (‘Tunji Solomon is award winning writer/founder).
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