Who Will Deliver Nigerians From Modern Slavery?

For the parents of Wilson Tagbo, the boy in Anezi Okoro’s 1972 book, One Week One Trouble, as disturbingly troubling as their son was, they only had one problem to deal with in a week. But for Nigerians, it is one week, multidimensional problems that cut across different spheres of life – leaving the people in perpetual lamentations while awaiting a deliverer who is not in sight.

Modern slavery has many faces, and for millions of Nigerians, it has become a cruel reality cloaked in economic hardship, systemic corruption, and government apathy. Today, the Nigerian populace faces an invisible chain that binds them to poverty, insecurity, and exploitation—a form of modern-day slavery far removed from physical shackles yet equally oppressive and dehumanizing.

Despite being named the giant of Africa and evidently recognized as one of the wealthiest nations in natural resources, Nigeria finds its people in the throes of unprecedented suffering. In a nation with an estimated population of 218 million, records have it that over 133 million Nigerians are living in multidimensional poverty, a figure that transcends mere statistics and exposes the inability of the government to provide basic amenities. What could be more enslaving than being trapped in a cycle of poverty, where millions live without access to clean water, electricity, adequate healthcare, and quality education and ultimately, cannot feed well?

Nigeria’s inflation rate, which hovers around 24%, further deepens the economic gulag that citizens are subjected to, as the cost of basic goods skyrockets beyond the reach of the common man. This situation mirrors an exploitative system that squeezes every ounce of strength from its people while offering little to no return—a situation akin to slavery. What is particularly troubling is that the rulers, whose heads are abroad with their anus at home, determined merchants of loots who boost the economy of their colonial order to impoverish brothers and sisters at home (as put by P.O.C Umeh in his poem, Ambassadors of Poverty), comfortably sit in their air-conditioned chambers and exotic cars to reel out Satan-inspired policies to inflict untold hardship on the people they govern, and yet, they don’t care about the heart wrenching plight of the masses.

Evidently, Nigeria’s journey into this modern form of slavery has been paved by decades of unchecked corruption. Successive governments have plundered the nation’s wealth, lining their pockets while the masses suffer. The billions siphoned off by public officeholders would have transformed healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Instead, Nigerians are left to fend for themselves in an environment where the rich get richer, and the poor continue to drown in the quicksand of poverty.

As if the economic and political chains were not enough, the growing insecurity in Nigeria has further enslaved the people. With insurgents, kidnappers, bandits, and other violent groups operating almost unchecked across the country, millions of Nigerians live in fear daily. The inability of the government to provide security for its citizens is a clear abdication of its most basic responsibility, forcing people to live in constant uncertainty.

Exploitation is the hallmark of modern slavery, and the Nigerian workforce experiences this to the fullest. Despite labor laws and regulatory agencies, workers face terrible working conditions with minimal pay. From domestic workers to factory employees, Nigerians endure extreme forms of abuse with little to no legal recourse. A recent report by The Nigerian Financial Market puts the situation in perspective. According to the damning report, 17.1% of the population is unemployed, 27.8% earns a meager #35,000 monthly, 21.2% earn #50,000 monthly, 19.3% earn #100,000 monthly, just 8.3% pockets N150,000, 3.7% goes home with #200,000 monthly while only 2.4% of Nigeria’s population earns above #200,000 monthly. These shameful and alarming figures are coming at a time when a dollar is #1700, a bag of 50kg rice is #110,000, federal universities are charging #400,000 in school fees and the cost of transportation is at an all-time high.

The oil industry, which should be Nigeria’s golden goose, has become an emblem of this enslavement. Decades of oil exploration have left the Niger Delta polluted, its farmlands barren, and its waters toxic (this explains why environmental singer, Klub J cried out in his song, Black Tide). In return, the region has been left with environmental degradation and extreme poverty. Multinationals, alongside corrupt government officials, siphon billions while the local population is denied access to clean water, healthcare, and sustainable livelihoods.

At the heart of this modern slavery is failed leadership. Successive Nigerian governments have failed to provide meaningful solutions to the problems plaguing the nation. Instead of addressing the root causes of poverty and insecurity, leadership has been marked by mismanagement, corruption, and political patronage. The “leaders” who should be champions of the people’s welfare have become overlords, further tightening the chains of oppression with each passing day. About two days ago, a picture of former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, in the latter’s London home surfaced on the Internet. After messing up the country, they retire and live abroad while the people they impoverished continue to wallow in modern-day slavery.

What is perhaps most alarming is the sense of helplessness that has permeated the Nigerian psyche. When a people begin to lose faith in their government, in the possibility of change, in the basic institutions of the state, they become trapped in a mental cage—one of the worst forms of slavery. This mental bondage is dangerous, as it weakens the will to resist and demand accountability from those in power. This explains why the Nigerian people, despite being subjected to untold hardship, cannot rise up and deliver themselves from the hands of Mephistophelean leaders.

The question that lingers on my lip is this: Who will deliver Nigerians from this modern slavery? Can we expect salvation from the same leaders who have turned a blind eye to the people’s plight for decades? Is it not time for Nigerians to recognize that their liberation lies in collective action, in holding the government accountable, and in demanding a reformation of a system that is no longer tenable?

Ultimately, the responsibility of delivering Nigerians from modern slavery rests not in the hands of a few but in the collective will of the people. The chains of economic hardship, corruption, insecurity, and exploitation will only be broken when Nigerians rise with one voice to demand accountability, transparency, and a government that truly serves its people. The time for liberation is now, and the key to breaking free is in the hands of the Nigerian people themselves.

Stanley Ugagbe is a Social Commentator. He can be reached on stanleyakomeno@gmail.com