Every Nigerian knows the struggles. We know the darkness at night, the graduates without jobs and corruption being the order of the day. But we also have a dream. We dream of a Nigeria where talents are rewarded, where there is no such thing as corruption and where the youths are thriving.

In the Nigeria we know, there is a broken healthcare system. Our hospitals lack equipment and sometimes even the will to care. In the Nigeria we know, there are not enough Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines in public hospitals. The few hospitals with these machines do not make them easily accessible or affordable to average citizens. If a scan is needed to save a person's life, such a person may be told to travel overseas or pay an exorbitant amount. If such a person is unable to afford it, they may have no option but to accept the possibility of losing their life.

How about inflation, low salaries and the high cost of living? An average Nigerian salary earner can barely live in comfort. The cost of living is so high that middle-class citizens can barely survive. In the Nigeria we know, imagine a minimum wage of ₦70,000 when that amount is not even enough to cover transportation for a month, let alone feeding, clothing and utility bills. The high cost of living makes money seem worthless.

Another issue in the Nigeria we know is a broken educational system. Teachers are underpaid and may no longer teach with passion, while students no longer learn for impact but rely on examination malpractice to pass examinations. Classrooms are overcrowded, and no child receives individual attention. Learning infrastructure is poor; there are libraries without books, laboratories without equipment and even dilapidated buildings with leaking roofs. The learning environments are not conducive enough. Most times, schools go on strike, and the results of all these challenges are graduates without a clear future, wasted talents and degrees that do not lead to jobs.

In the Nigeria we know, there is also the problem of poor power supply. It affects every family, business, student and even hospital. Life-saving equipment, businesses and schools need a constant power supply, but unfortunately, in the Nigeria we know, this is not guaranteed. We rely on expensive diesel generators. Businesses spend more on fuel than on salaries. How, then, is profit guaranteed?

In the Nigeria we dream of, there should be a corruption-free system and economy, a constant power supply, a favourable cost of living and improved educational systems. There should be a functional and effective healthcare system where medical care is accessible and affordable, and where medical personnel are patient-centred and treat everyone equally. There should also be job and employment opportunities where jobs are given to qualified candidates, not simply to those with connections.

Our dream is not impossible, but it requires us to change. We need good leadership: men and women who fear God. We must stop celebrating corruption. We must educate our children not just to pass examinations but to make an impact. The youths must rise with purpose. We need to fix our educational system so that it produces thinkers, not just degree holders.

The Nigeria we know is not our final destination. The Nigeria we dream of is not a fantasy. It is not unattainable. It is a future we can build with one honest choice, one good leader and one committed citizen at a time.