While opinions remain divided on what exactly Nigeria should request from the global community, there are a few realistic and forward-looking expectations in the mind of the average Nigerian. And what does a Nigerian want? A quick Google search suggests that Nigerians desire improved access to basic needs and amenities such as food, shelter, water, and healthcare. Is that too much to ask? A report published by TheCable in 2018 revealed that Nigerians also yearn for leadership capable of guaranteeing good roads, functional health facilities, steady electricity supply, affordable housing, security, quality education, and strong human capital development.
This once sounded strange to a friend of mine in the United States, with whom I shared this a few years ago. His response was a simple but revealing question. He was surprised that such expectations could even appear as a campaign manifesto when, in reality, they should be constitutional responsibilities of government. Yet here we are as Nigerians, often pleading for what should ordinarily be the advantage of citizenship.
It therefore became troubling for me to even list these items as the things Nigerians need. Social amenities are the basic foundation of human life; without them, society descends into hardship. During the last election in my state, a government promised roads, jobs, and peace as core components of its manifesto. We waited, hoped, and prayed, but little changed. A background check later revealed that those promises were simply recycled versions of campaign pledges made years earlier by the same political establishment. In truth, Nigerian politicians have mastered the art of repackaging familiar promises.
So what do Nigerians really deserve?
Even with all these wants and expectations, none of them can truly materialise without peace. Every single request rests on the foundation of peace and unity. In essence, peace has gradually become a scarce commodity in parts of Nigeria for nearly fifteen years. Many communities carry untold stories of loss and grief. That is why it has become important for Nigeria to ask, above all else, for peace, even if you are not directly influenced by the lack of it. This is so because an injury to one is an injury to all. What touches the eye does not just affect the eye in isolation; it affects the whole body. Brothers, friends, and family members have paid the highest price of life without ever enjoying the dividends of the nation they belong to. In some places, the suffering rivals what one would expect in a war zone.
However, the first state visit to the United Kingdom in 37 years could hardly have come at a more crucial moment. Nigeria is ready, indeed overdue for serious conversations, unless it chooses to ignore the warning signs of deeper fractures. Who else should help advance these difficult conversations if not a government that maintains long-standing diplomatic engagement with Nigeria? The bilateral relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom makes this an important moment to advocate for peace in a nation increasingly challenged by internal insecurity.
At the upcoming engagements, including policy discussions in Windsor Castle and other diplomatic settings, peace and the pathways to sustaining it should remain at the centre of the conversation. Nigerians can only hope that these engagements move beyond the routine language of diplomacy and ceremonial exchanges. Hopes, lives, and the future of many communities depend on meaningful outcomes.
After all, what is governance when citizens live under the constant shadow of fear?
To Nigerians, peace is not charity. It is governance. And that is precisely what Nigeria must advance at this strategic moment with global partners.
Peace should be the carbohydrate on the national table, while good governance and responsible leadership remain the protein at the feast of reason in the days ahead.
Anuoluwapo Idowu Ezekiel
