If Backward Means Affordable Rice, Then Let’s Go Back! -By Isaac Asabor

The social media space has grown into more than just a channel for digital camaraderie. It has become a modern-day town square, a virtual parliament where citizens gather, vent their frustrations, and drop truth bombs with sarcasm-laced memes and witty one-liners. One such post that caught my attention recently read: “APC to Nigerians: Don’t trust this COALITION of disgruntled politicians. They will take us backward!! The People: We need them to take us back to 2015 so we can buy rice again at ₦7,000”

On the surface, it may seem like just another joke on X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook, but behind the satire lies a cry of deep-seated frustration, one that resonates with millions of Nigerians who are increasingly disillusioned by the promises of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party that rode into Aso Rock in 2015 on the wings of “Change.”

Nearly a decade down the line, many Nigerians would give anything to rewind to 2015, not because the past was perfect, but because compared to the present economic nightmare, it now looks like a golden era.

Let us face it: Nigerians are not asking for miracles, nor are they demanding a utopia. What they want is a country where basic food items are affordable. In 2015, a 50kg bag of rice sold for about ₦7,000 to ₦8,000 in most markets. Fast forward to today, that same bag costs between ₦70,000 and ₦85,000, depending on the location, a staggering increase of over 1,000%. For most Nigerians, especially those in the informal sector and even some in the private sector, monthly incomes have barely increased since 2015. Meanwhile, government workers who now earn the new minimum wage of ₦70,000 are ironically watching their salaries lose value rapidly due to the unprecedented inflation the country is currently experiencing.

And it is not just rice. Garri, beans, yam, and even the so-called Nigerian “staple of survival”,  indomie,  have all gone through the roof. Transportation has become a luxury for many, while electricity tariffs are climbing even as power supply remains epileptic. School fees, rent, and even sachet water (pure water) have not been spared.

So, when APC warns the masses not to trust a “coalition of disgruntled politicians,” the irony is glaring. The average Nigerian is already disgruntled. If going “backward” means going back to a time of food security, lower inflation, and relative economic sanity, then the people are rightly asking: “Why not?”

The APC came into power under the mantra of “Change.” But what followed has been an unrelenting wave of economic hardship, insecurity, and misgovernance. From fuel subsidy removal without an adequate cushion, to a naira freefall that has left local manufacturers gasping for breath, the so-called “change” has only changed Nigerians for the worse.

Let us not forget the continuous devaluation of the naira. At the time APC assumed power, the naira was exchanging for about ₦197 to \$1 at the official rate. Today, it has crossed the ₦1,500 to \$1 mark, making importation a nightmare and turning foreign education, medical tourism, and even pilgrimage into dreams for only the elite class.

Given the foregoing retrogressive trend from 2015 to 2025, it is not out of place to advice APC-affiliated politicians and supporters that when they hear people speak with sarcasm that they should listen with equanimity without becoming annoyed or angry. 

The brilliance of that social media post lies in its simplicity and sting. It mirrors the growing consciousness of Nigerians, especially the youth, who may not be on the streets protesting daily but are wielding their frustration like digital daggers. When a nation begins to express its anguish through satire, it is not merely trying to entertain, it is issuing a warning.

Our leaders would do well to stop dismissing such posts as childish banter or “social media noise.” They must begin to see these viral moments as barometers of public sentiment. The sarcasm in “take us back to 2015” is not just about rice; it is about the dignity of life that the average Nigerian enjoyed before it was stripped away by bad governance.

The APC’s recent warning against a “coalition of disgruntled politicians” seems desperate. Instead of focusing on its own failures, the party has resorted to pointing fingers and playing the fear card. But the question remains: who created this sea of disgruntled citizens and politicians in the first place?

When a ruling party continues to suppress dissent, sideline alternative voices, and act as if it owns the entire political space, it inevitably creates factions, some born out of principle, others out of exclusion. Either way, the coalition is not the disease; it is a symptom of a larger political rot.

And if the coalition promises to address hunger, insecurity, and the high cost of living, even if imperfectly, then the masses, in their desperation, may be willing to give it a chance. After all, when you are drowning, you do not ask if the lifeboat has scratches, you grab it.

One of the major unspoken truths in today’s Nigeria is that many people are suffering in silence. Leadership fatigue is real. The people are tired of the same old faces, tired of the promises that remain on paper, tired of politicians who do not feel the pinch of the economy because they feed fat off government largesse.

The cry of the masses is no longer hidden behind long essays or newspaper columns. It is on the streets. It is in the markets. It is at the bus stops. And now, it is online, trending in memes and sarcastic posts that pack more punch than most press conferences.

The 2023 elections came and went, and now the consequences of choices, whether freely made or allegedly rigged, are unfolding. President Bola Tinubu and the APC must realize that the honeymoon is over. Nigerians are no longer impressed by economic jargon or vague reform agendas. They want results.

And if those results do not come soon, no amount of propaganda or coalition-shaming will stop the next political tsunami. Because when the people say, “take us back,” they are not endorsing failure, they are demanding relief. They are demanding a return to economic common sense.

So, let APC and all other political actors take note: The people are watching. The people are waiting. And the people are fed up. If the only backward move that can help Nigerians buy rice at ₦7,000 again is through voting out the present order, then backward may just be the new forward. After all, what good is “progress” if it cannot put food on the table?