Nigerians Speak: Dreams, Hopes and Expectations for 2023

Sunday Ehigiator, who spoke to some Nigerians, chronicled their  dreams, hopes and expectations for 2023, especially with the forthcoming General Elections

Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Centre, Okechukwu

Nwanguma

As the 2023 general elections to elect a new president, parliamentary

representatives and governors approach I wish to remind Nigerians

that whoever is of voting age and who hasn’t collected his or her Permanent Voting Card (PVC) should please do that. Your vote is your power and if you don’t vote, then you leave room for the desperate politicians to seize political offices and use them to oppress you as well as steal the collective wealth of the nation.

If you sell your vote, you have sold your conscience and the future of your children.Politicians must realize that politics is about service, not self-benefits or access to public resources. Politicians should shun desperation because if you mean to serve the people you don’t need to be desperate about it. Seek public

endorsement not to buy it. Security agencies shouldn’t be partisan but professional.

They should be neutral and provide equal security to everybody because good governance will also benefit security agencies. Nigeria security agencies are not being paid well because of bad governance and if they assist criminals to get

into offices, their salaries will not be paid as when due and their welfare would continue to be neglected.

The security agencies need to support democracy by making sure that elections are conducted in a free and fair atmosphere that enables the electorate to exercise their civic right to vote for the candidates of their choice. My advice to INEC is to continue to sustain public confidence and trust. They should do whatever it takes to ensure that the elections are free and fair.

Business Woman, Agatha Chitum

Surviving the COVID-19 lockdown is a miracle, an eye-opener for me. Having survived these few years, I hope that the year 2023 will favour me as a businesswoman; I expect a decline in the cost of foodstuffs to satisfy my customers. I also expect peaceful elections.

Writer & Proofreader, Ogedengbe Racheal

I am working towards 2023. I experience and enjoy exciting firsts; in my career, personal business and finances.  As regards the country, I hope Nigeria will be

in better hands by 2023. I hope the commonwealth of Nigeria will shift from being enjoyed by an elite few to being enjoyed by all and sundry. I hope there will be policies that help small businesses thrive. I hope Nigerians no longer have to pay for basic amenities and infrastructure for which the government is solely responsible.

Media Practitioner, Bode Gbadebo

I expect that national security is improved so that Nigerians can sleep with their two eyes closed. If done, the economy will be naturally enhanced for both personal and national development.

Finally, the 2023 general election should truly reflect the wishes of the majority of Nigerians to engender a sense of belonging, a better image among the comity of nations and ultimately good governance at home.

Media and Communications Expert, Emmanuel Daudu

If Nigerians get it right with the leadership, particularly the office of the president, everything would fall in line.

One of my major expectations is to see credible leaders take the helm of affairs for a better Nigeria.

This life is too short for a bad leader to take away another eight years out of our lives as Nigerians under the auspices of bad leadership which in turn will birth economic retrogression, more corruption, indiscipline, insecurity, and the rest.

We need a level playing ground for all Nigerians, we need a united nation, and not a nation disorganized by tribal, religious, and nepotism segregations.

If we Nigerians get it right by having good leaders, especially the office of the President, all other wishes with prayers will fall in place.

However, another expectation is sound health, favour, and financial greatness and open doors in the New Year.

Oil Expert, Charles Ehimationwan

In this New Year, I expect the recurrent issues around PMS supply to be settled. The intermittent petrol shortages only add to the general misery of long-suffering Nigerians 133 million (63 per cent) of whom are living under multidimensional poverty. The coming onstream of the Dangote Refinery is expected to help. I also expect a smooth transition from one administration to another irrespective of the current noise.

Real Estate Expert, Benjamin Onigbinde

The year 2022 has been a very challenging one in all respects. The economic outlook at the beginning of the year did not indicate such a

high level of depression.

The year turned out to be more innovative as more businesses and people strived to design new ways of creating values to survive. The political environment at the end of the year tends to create tension in the business operating environment as it’s becoming difficult to generate a sustainable forecast for business operations.

The instability generated by unstable fiscal policy in the area of currency devaluation has increased the inflation rate mostly for essential commodities which has resulted in a continuous reduction in the standard of living. The expectation in 2023 is highly subjective to the results of the elections in various political offices. I may not be able to make a sustainable forecast for the economy.

Senior Staff, Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State, Badmus Oladimeji

To say that the outgone year 2022 put to test, Nigerians’ resilience, strength and belief in the socioeconomic bounce back of the country, is an understatement.

The country’s fabric of diversified unity was almost torn to the slivers courtesy of the rancid and unappealing occurrences like insecurity, economic hiccups, inflation, unemployment, brutality, forex, etc. This is, nonetheless, not to say that year 2022 was not beneficial to the internal and external image of the country but, one cannot be oblivious to the fact that the tiny negative lines of the year

shadowed the government’s efforts at making life better for the citizens.

However, coming out of all these, Nigerians weathered the storms, defied the odds and ushered in the year 2023 with high prospects of positive developments expected to be triggered by the fast-approaching elections.

I am equally pleased to toe this path with strong convictions that the year 2023 would be a year Nigerians will reap the fruit of their labour having experienced the harrowing events of the year 2022. Nevertheless, this expectation will be a mirage and it could spell doom for the future of the country should we miss the golden opportunity to do the right thing in the coming elections. I am of the view that having quality leadership at the helm of affairs helps a country, inclusive of Nigeria, to attain enviable accomplishments so, for Nigerians to experience economic bliss and explore all the positives embedded in the year 2023, it is an expectation that right decisions must be made at the polls.