I would like to preface this piece with a question to every Nigerian – at 60 – whither Nigeria?
When the foundation you laid for 60 years starts quavering – and with China, the Nigeria new colony.
Africa’s early tribal history came with exploitation and exploration by outsiders – starting with centuries of slavery and moving onto the scramble for Africa.
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The white man first staked the African continent at the end of the nineteenth century to launch the colonial era; there, then, independence in the winds of change swept away periods of rule that some white leaders had boasted and stood forever.
The colonial era finished with the Post – Independence age of economic decay, chaos and coup, with African leaders manipulated and murdered or killed by foreign powers with the zeal to cling to power in a continent abundantly filled with insurgents, rebels and loyalists.
Before the advent of colonial era, white men had spent hundreds of years exploring and exploiting Africa’s edges – claiming the land around the coastline, describing the African continent in mysterious terms such as: shitholes, diseases, a source of slaves, hostile tribes, darken and lacking of clear commercial potentials and a place unworthy of colonization.
The modern history of Africa, through decades of potential exploration, colonial exploitation and Post – Independence chaos and rancour, were begun by Stanley’s Congo expeditions, a Telegraph reporter battling down the Congo River.
On October 1st, 1960, Nigeria attained independence from Britain. An all – Nigerian Executive Council was headed by a Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
The complication of building the Nigerian state has continued to generate and attract intellectual debate and journalistic analysis every year as the country celebrates her independence anniversary.
On August 15, 2020, India celebrated her 74th Independence Day.
The celebration is always characterized by patriotic hoisting of the country’s tri-color flag, glowing tributes to the nation’s founding fathers, patriotic songs and display of the nation’s rich cultural heritage.
India is a member of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations and one of the fastest growing economies of the world.
India is 14 years older than Nigeria as per independence.
Today, October 1, 2020, Nigeria celebrates her 60th Independence Anniversary in an era where hope of change and national resurgence is in the LIMBO.
I sat down quietly meditating on how we accumulated our grievances for six decades.
Our leaders had lost instruments of direction and cohesion; integration and purpose which have contributed to the instability and disarray in the national polity.
Our leaders within these 21 years of uninterrupted democracy are part and parcel of a conspiracy against the stability of Nigeria.
How can you expect rationality when those in control of power and economy did not get there on the basis of merit?
Deception has become the order of the day.
The culture of nepotism in our government today is one of the crassest most insensitive self ingratiating acts ever recorded in the history of any nation in the recent memory.
Good leaders are the reservoirs of political power and authority in any true democracy.
There must be certain values and virtues that must go concomitant with our dreams.
Zoning and rotation our political parties are trying to establish should be jettisoned and permanently cancelled.
We must turn our attention to a new generation that would bring the country out of the woods – it does not matter where the person will come from.
Leaders are supposed to be servants; leaders are supposed to sacrifice and leaders are not supposed to be thieves.
Nigeria from independence according to graphic presentation of revenue – 1960 – 1999 earned 4.8 trillion.
But in 16 years of PDP and 5 years of APC, Nigeria earned over 60 trillion.
And still, people are living in illusion with total lack of hope.
We are suffering from the culture of impunity and bad governance in almost all ramifications.
We are coming to a time when we will ask ourselves whether we have independence or not.
We also ask ourselves whether we are really in dire need of democracy for development, because we are still not prosperous despite that democracy is the consequence of prosperity.
We lack planning and definitive programmes.
Our present leaders from top to bottom have mismanaged the economy; grossly disgraced and besmirched the country’s reputation. Everyone is looking for illicit money through corruption.
We can no longer do something noble. Our ideas, comments and opinions were very inflated.
This nation is sick and tired of the characterization of threats, kidnappings, armed robbery, pen-robbery, banditry, settlement and business.
At this moment, we must encourage political science debate, principles of conduct; principles of behavior, advantageous conduct, prudence and political shrewdness in order to comprehend emerging realities.
In order to revive the glory of the past, we need to complement the fundamental struggles and fundamental values left by our founding fathers.
We need to embrace the role of domesticating our values for the benefit of our country and avoid getting entrapped into false pretences.
We should start glowing tributes to the nation’s founding fathers with patriotic songs.
“Arise, O Compatriots,
Nigeria’s Call Obey,
To Serve Our Father’s Land,
With Love and Strength and Faith,
The Labour of Our Heroes Past,
Shall Never Be in Vain,
To Serve with Heart and Might,
One Nation Bound in Freedom,
Peace and Unity”
May God save us from us!
Happy 60th Independence Anniversary!
Bio- a Freelancer and Public Affairs Commentator writes from Kano
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