₦airaland Forum

"...and he opened his eyes": Recession and the tears of the Nation
I came, I saw and felt the effects of recession in its natural and raw state. It seems sad to behold! How did a retired soldier of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come to this sorry sight?In many ways, the neglect of senior citizens of the country, pensioneers, is a corporate judgement on the nation's integrity. It is the 'holocaust' of governmental neglect.

In fact, at exactly 9am in the morning I took a position in front of UBA bank at Lokoja. Somehow, I saw group of people gathered near an old man, whose face has known decades of suffering. It seems that his jacket is a replica of those worn in the Cowboys movies of the 70's. His shorts shared identity with the dirts on the road. His body has not seen water for months I guess.
I drew closer to the crowd. ..I enquired from one of the women what was the matter. She replied " na witch...na God catch am today". All this time, the man was suspended in between life and death...he was uncounsciuos and was assumed to be dead. A young spirited man poured a sachet of water on the man's head. Behold,he opened his eyes to the admiration of the crowd.

Futhermore, the youngman offered some water to the "old man". He drank hastily and his eyes became brighter. Sooner or later, he led us into his ordeal which began in 2013, he told the listening crowd how he was owed pension and how matters became worst during the course of this year. He has been owed over 8months. Sooner or later, some spirited individuals bought food for him to eat. Others offered to take him to the hospital. But then, the old man rejected all the offer. He said 'I got my pension today'. He went further to say the joy of receiving his pension led to his state of unconsciousness.

Immediately the neglect of pensioners came to the limelight, the men in the crowd talked randomly. Majority blamed Buhari regime,others suggested that it was inherited from the previous regime.
Nonetheless, what became immediately clear was that some strange phenomenon are at once attributed to the "occult or the workings of the invisible hands". More so, 'poverty, hagardness' was also captured in the image of 'oldness'. This perspective mix unevenly with the workings of the state, hard felt recession and the dichotomies between Jonathanians and Buharists. It further showcases most Nigerians as caring and sympathetic.


Recession as a phenomenal based on the perspective of the crowd was real. It manifested in a profound way in the body of the old man. What was however contested was 'who caused the recession '. The Devil, Buhari and Jonathan were all implicated. However, by passing these talk. I argue that recession is that which is imbued with diversities of meaning, contested and more so, a political tool of loyalists/apologists. I dare say that recession serves as a technology through which blames are apportioned to heroes/villains and a prism through which the cleavages of the state are chronicled.

adedayoa2:
If them see winch them go wait, make una leave that baba o

ayodejijoshua:
do you sell goat ni

NO!! he sells boat.
Are you blind ni?