Nearly one year since the tensed, rough and interesting 2015 general elections held across the country, it has been a tale of hardship for Nigerians.

From the two major political parties in the country; the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), promises of “change” and “transformation” were made in loud ovation.

In the end, Nigerians bought the message of ‘change’ of the APC and rejected the promise of ‘Transformation’ of the PDP, thus President Muhammadu Buhari came into office last May.

And since it came into power, the APC has failed to deliver the good governance it promised and nearly all its campaign promises have not materialised.

Based on this, Nigerians who are a conglomeration of different people, with different backgrounds, cultures, religions and values are becoming sceptical of the Buhari administration.

Many, who could not bear the economic scare, now resort into using chagrin languages with diminutive sobriquets on the president and his party.

How do we describe a country like Nigeria? A country that is richly endowed with milk and honey, but is now faced with economic quagmire, mercilessly bent by poverty, crippled by gargantuan corruption, squalor and theft, and of course, bad governance.

“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the constitution, so the second will not be the legalised reason for the first”.

The above is a quote by Thomas Jefferson, an author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S president. It is in this context that I want Nigerians, politicians and political aspirants to see governance and not the other way round.

However, It is generally believed that mass despair breeds thugry, militancy, mephistophelean, criminality, or juvenile delinquency, and that governments breed these set of people when they brake campaign promises meant to open opportunities for the citizenry, especially those without any means of income, but the pertinent and pressing issues bother on insurgency, insecurity, poor educational structure, epileptic power supply, fight against corruption, and the way out of the current economic quagmire that has plagued the country mercilessly. It is unfortunate that politicians today have replaced these issues with propaganda and politics of bitterness, for years past till date, Nigeria remains the way it is because the people that has the power to make the change have always relinquished their power to the strong appeal from men who’s taste for power have blinded them into making promises that can never be redeemed.

It would be recalled that the Buhari/Osinbanjo 2015 campaign promised to create an enabling environment for all, ensure good governance and politics, more fascinating was the promise of 3 million jobs in a year through agriculture expansion, industrialisation, construction of a new rail way system, roads and ports constructions. Aside from all of these, one of the two major promises that captivated Nigerians most was the provision of monthly welfare to some poor families, free meals for primary school children on a daily basis. It was equally amazing that there was yet another promise of a stipend of N5, 000 monthly for 25million unemployed graduates and poor youths.

Meanwhile, the governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura, had said on behalf of the party that Buhari’s refusal to fulfil his party’s electoral promise of paying N5, 000 monthly allowances to unemployed youths in the country cannot be challenged, he said that nobody has the right to challenge the president. The northern governor insisted that the president is not bound to fulfill his electoral promises and therefore cannot be challenged by anyone.

Even though no venom seem to be coming from the major opposition party( PDP ) at the moment, but Nigerians aren’t silent anyway. It appears, one might be tempted to argue, that ordinary citizens seem to attack and pour out vituperations and anger almost as if they were spokespersons of PDP. If anything, social media platforms are turning into platforms for political activism. Truly, Nigerians are not smiling, especially, with the hashtag ( #Our5K ) as it went viral on the social media and micro-blog. The youths particularly, took great risk to get president Muhammadu Buhari elected. They trusted him with their lives and expected the change mantra to become reality as soon as the People’s Ex-general regained power after being sacked as a military ruler in 1985.

A former president of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln, who served from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865 in his quote said; “This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember it or overthrow it.” Hence, Nigerians are not smiling at the rulling party on the failed campaign promises. Many, especially the unemployed youths, based on their expressions are dissapointed by the APC-led government as they accused the party of being insincere with the masses during the electioneering.

Iwenwanne wrote in from Lagos.arihari