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TW: This is a litany of lamentations.

I am a Nigerian in my early twenties, and I can tell you, I am tired of suffering. I am watching my potential wither under the harsh realities of Nigeria–a country that has consistently failed its young people.

Day after day, I see my parents work so hard, and their efforts are heavily undervalued. They are ageing so fast, with white hair and wrinkles in abundance. I watch them and I am consumed by fear—Is this how my life would turn out to be? A life overwhelmed by endless labour, yielding nothing but fatigue and misery? No savings, no assets, just the memory of effort expended in vain. Ah, God abeg.

We are working too hard for this kind of life. Hustle here, hustle there– always chasing the next opportunity, the next skill. The pressure to do more, to be more, is suffocating. You want me to learn a skill, but there is no electricity to charge my laptop, and I can’t earn enough to buy data. It feels like a cruel joke.

So many people have multiple professions–hairstylist, nail tech, social media manager, virtual assistant and still learning tech skills. And no, this is not because they are passionate about multitasking, the society we are in demands such labour. We are living like zombies, only that we can feel the emptiness inside, only surviving with no fulfilment. This is not life.

We are now slaves to the endless corruption and wickedness of the people in power.

To the Nigerian Government; even if your intentions are corrupt, at least fulfil your duties. You have plunged over four million innocent children into hunger, in a nation supposedly at peace. Those are helpless babies. Do you have a conscience? You claim to be Christians and Muslims, yet your actions contradict the very essence of your faiths. Where in your holy books is there justification for the oppression, misgovernance, and suffering inflicted upon the people you are meant to serve?

It is such a glaring contradiction that our leaders frequently seek superior healthcare, education and vacations abroad while our nation declines in decades of underdevelopment. How can you witness firsthand the advancements of other countries and remain indifferent to our nation's backwardness? I see this as a betrayal and disloyalty of the highest order to your nation.

We have been talking about how Nigerians are exceptional at adapting to trials and tribulations. While it is true that we have endured great challenges, we have our limits. People are starving. People are hopeless. People are full-on dying, but the government wants us to be patient. The patient dog did not eat the fattest bone. It died.

We are not beggars pleading for handouts. We are citizens requesting a functional society that values our contributions and hard work. Is this an unreasonable expectation?

The life of a Nigerian is a constant prayer. From the mundane - electricity, safe roads, reaching one's destination - to the critical - stable currency, affordable food, accessible fuel, basic sustenance, and clean water - every aspect of our existence requires fervent prayer. Nigerians are fighting a daily war against circumstances that should never have existed. This is not the life we deserve.