Being a Nigerian living in this country can be stressful. Day in and day out there is one thing or another waiting to frustrate the life out of you and give you a headache. It can get really depressing sometimes.

When we say it is tough being a Nigerian our foreign friends really don’t understand why. The Nigerian government basically provides nothing for its citizens. Governments are meant to solve problems and provide basic necessities for the masses but in this country it rather complicates things for its citizens. We barely have good roads, stable electricity; our healthcare and school systems are in a deplorable state and then there is insecurity. We have never felt so unsafe in this nation like now.

We wake up daily to news of wanton killings and abductions of Nigerians in various parts of the country by either Fulani gunmen or criminal gangs. Worse still, some of our political leaders from the north are politicizing the issue due to tribal sentiments.

For this country to work effectively for all we must restructure fully. The bells have been ringing for a while but President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, have deliberately refused to allow this despite their campaign promise on fiscal restructuring.

Last week, Rivers State successfully challenged the authority of the federal government-owned agency, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, over the collection of VAT in the state and sharing it amongst all the states of the federation. Governor Nyesom Wike made a convincing argument on this matter before a federal judge.

Does it really make sense that States like Bauchi, Zamfara and Kano should be given VAT proceeds from the sale and consumption of alcohol in Rivers State or elsewhere after banning alcohol within their borders citing Sharia Law? This, I hope, will begin the journey to true federalism so that every state can develop at its own pace and provide for its residents. Nigeria will only be great when we do things properly.

In this edition of DOWNTOWN, we delve further into aesthetic cosmetic procedures with views from an expert and our cover personality, the Queen Mary University of London alumna, Dr. Hilda Titiloye, who serves as Clinical Director & Lead Aesthetic Physician at SKIN 101, Center.

Hilda first caught our attention when she went under the knife for a Tummy Tuck procedure, recorded the whole process and shared it on social media. In this cover – ‘NIP, TUCK & COSMETIC PROCEDURES: A Conversation with Dr. Hilda Titiloye’ – she shares her views from a patient & surgeon’s perspective.

You will also enjoy our other features on Fashion, Lifestyle,Relationships, Entertainment, Wellness and Beauty.

Do have a great week and stay safe. We’ll be here again next week by God’s grace

Austyn Ogannah
@thisisogannah