Steemit Engagement Challenge | S7W5 | "The Tale Of My Dear Country"

Hello friends, we are still game and delivering our articles as expected from the different communities. At this time I will be writing on a topic presented by steel for Pakistan "Write A Short Story." This is a topic that allows us to be creative and expressive in our composition and as well plat down on incidences of plagiarism.

I will be writing a brief story about my country Nigeria, and this time, it would be centered on the recent happenings of the time. Let's relax and read through as I write.

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The Tale of My Country

Nigeria is a country of over 200 million people and it happens to be the most populated black nation on earth. It is a country blessed with crude oil and other prime-valued mineral resources. It is indeed a richly blessed nation but can we categorically say it has been lucky in her leadership? Let's get to know.

I wouldn't want to make an epistle of my country but narrow the brief story to just 2023. It is an electioneering year and everywhere seems busy. The printing and media industries are cashing out largely in attending to the politician's needs for posters, billboards, and audio-visual advertorials. I will be making my story using these three points that have shown our inefficiencies as a country.

• PVC Collection Process
• Fuel (PMS) Scarcity
• New Naira Redesign Saga (Naira scarcity)

PVC Collection Process:

In so doing, the masses are busy going for their PVC (Permanent Voter Card), especially for those yet to pick up theirs and those who transferred theirs due to relocation concerns and proximity to polling units. This process of collection has been troublesome in its entire value chain. Citizens are seen struggling, queueing for hours and most times repeating this collection process several before any success.

The difficulty observed from this process was enough to discourage every intended participant in the electioneering process in view to giving up. However, we are poised in making sure that the right person assumes the number one seat this time. The country cannot afford to make any more mistakes in selecting its leader and this may be tantamount to a suicidal regime.

Not minding this confused state of the PVC collection process, a deadline was given but due to the outcry of citizens for extension, the Federal government extended this process. More people were able to pick up their permanent voter cards given to adjusted deadline dates.

Fuel (PMS) Scarcity:

Late last year or probably by the last week of December 2022 there was an unforeseen scarcity of the PMS product. Initially, we all thought it was a joke which could be a result of the festive/yuletide season but this persisted more than necessary. The cost of this product was hiked from an official price of 145 NGN to 185 NGN and then 250 NGN per liter. In steel value, it represents 0.9, 1.1, and 1.5 STEEM respectively.

This madness has been seen tarried until now of posting this article. The cost of the PMS product is sold for 450NGN per liter (2.76 Steem). This has thrown so many into untold hardship as the cost of living has really doubled and people could barely feed adequately. Presently, transportation fares have doubled and the cost of food commodities also hiked. The country is undergoing a state of hyperinflation. We now have a high volume of currency chasing fewer commodities.

Just for example, 10,000 NGN (61 Steem) before now would get 69 liters of PMS, but presently, the same amount can only be 23 liters of PMS. This only tells us the degree of devaluation and hyperinflation the country is undergoing. It is so disheartening that the government of the day isn't doing enough to arrest this decaying situation rather it this been politicized.

New Naira Redesign Saga:

This is the last turbulent issue before us as a nation today. The new naira design is the CBN policy that was rolled out to foster its fiscal policy demands. However, this has created more problems than anticipated due to the timing of its implementation, short notice or deadline, insufficiency of new notes in circulation, and high handedness from the commercial banks in providing these notes to the citizen.

It has been a very crazy situation here to see that the naira is been traded on the parallel market. There are concerns about hoarded monies or selected disbursements of the notes to individuals who now in turn traded these monies in the parallel market with at least a 10% charge fee. This has brought confusion in society as citizens are looking stranded as most of the electronic channels are congested with failed transactions in occurrence.

There have been negative dramas associated with this menace that warranted some of the financial force agencies to wade in and arrest violators of the law and process. Bank managers have been picketed for these inefficiencies and banks fined for hoarding these notes because of their selfish purposes.

Conclusion

We hope to come of this confused and almost failed situation so as to avoid depression and suicidal attempts by some of our citizens. The perceived scarce commodities are some of our commonly used items and hence cannot be afforded this whole trouble. As we anticipate a better solution in the nearest future, we hope that the electioneering process brings to us good tidings thereafter.

This is my submission and a brief Tale about my dear Country.

Thank you, friends...