When will our sufferings come to an end? Does God still remember us in this part of Nigeria? Can we still hope that Nigeria will get better despite all the odds we are experiencing now? These and many other questions are what people keep asking themselves on a daily basis.

Permit me to add my ink to the ink of Agora Policy who gave a fresh report that has opened many eyes across Nigeria in March, 2026. It tells a painful truth, the big economic changes that started in 2023, removal of fuel subsidy, floating of the naira, and higher electricity tariffs that are pressing down on ordinary citizens like a heavy sack of stones on a long journey. Petrol that once cost about ₦161 now sells for over ₦1,200 per litre. Electricity bills have climbed from ₦68 to ₦225 per unit in many homes excluding those called “Band A category”. Even a simple healthy meal that cost ₦300 in 2023 now costs nearly ₦1,600. Families skip meals. Traders in markets close early because customers have empty pockets.  Malls of all kinds fold up because of lack in patronage. Youths sit at home with certificates but no jobs. This is the agony weighing on millions of Nigerians right now.

It is popularly said “When the rain falls, it does not fall on one man’s roof alone.” The pain we are experiencing now is touching everyone both the rich and the poor, city and village but in different categories. A mother in Ibadan cries because the price of garri has doubled. A father in Enugu struggles to buy fuel for his motorcycle. Schools close when there is no light for fans or computers. Small businesses that once employed neighbours now shut their doors. The report says poverty has grown deeper even though the government claims finances are stronger. It feels like running on a treadmill: you work harder but move nowhere.

Yet this hardship is not new rain; it is the fruit of reforms meant to heal our nation. The naira lost value against the dollar. Transport costs shot up, pushing food prices to the sky. Electricity became more expensive and still goes off without warning. Insecurity grows too, because hungry people sometimes turn desperate, though not an excuse to indulge in evil. But the root is the same: the cost of living has tripled while salaries stay the same. It is like trying to fill a leaking bucket; no matter how much you pour, the water runs out.

As Citizens and as Christians, how should we react in such a season? Certainly, not with stones or fire in the streets, for the Bible and morality teach us better paths. The Yorubas will say: “Ori gige ko ni ogun ori fifo” which means cutting off one’s head is not a remedy for an headache. Also, the scripture suggests that we should hold firmly to prayer. The book of Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Let every family begins the day with thanksgiving, even when the pot is half empty. We have come to a time when we need to take the bull by the horn, to take our destiny into our hands and hand it over to God to pilot it for us. Governments have failed us several times and they have promised to continue to fail us, but don’t let us fail ourselves because that will be a greater tragedy.

The tendency is there to say, why always bringing in the scripture? Give us practical ways… Hmmm there is no practical action that can be effective when the system is malfunctioning, thus we must begin to create a new system that works and it involves you, myself and God. We must begin with the consciousness of helping one another like the Good Samaritan on the road to Jericho. The Church is not a building; it is a family. Let us open our stores of rice and beans to widows and orphans. Let our youth fellowships teach skills tailoring towards phone repair, technological advancement and farming with modern methods so that idle hands do not become the devil’s workshop. Living and working with honesty must become our cloth that shield and protect our nakedness.

While corruption has brought us to where we are; righteousness can lead us out. Business owners should not cheat on weights or inflate prices. Civil servants should not take bribes. Youths should refuse “yahoo” money that destroys souls. When Christians refuse to join evil, we become salt that preserves the land.

Nigeria is our home. We did not choose the storm, but we can choose how we sail through it. As we trust God, love our neighbours, and walk in integrity, the heavy load will become lighter. One day, our children will tell stories of how we all stood firm when the nation trembled. The sun will rise again. Until then, let us hold on to the promise: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).