Today, as we celebrate Nigeria’s 58th anniversary of independence and the hand down negative legacy of divide and rule politics, which has hindered our genuine quest for a true republic and the needs to constantly remind ourselves, as patriots that the challenges are enormous and daunting? The Agenda should be set aside, in an era of morbid nationalistic fantasies and the darkest moments of our democratic journey.
Attaining 58 years of freedom is indeed a significant milestone. Nonetheless, we have faced many challenges and problems in the past 58 years. We have had treacherous military coups, communal riots, pogroms, the Niger- Delta armed revolts, assassinations of prominent Nigerians and Heads of State, Boko haram terrorist violence and above all a long secessionist war(1966- 1970) that threatened to tear apart the country.
As Nigerians we must continues to instigate cross-cutting conversations that draw in multiple perspectives. This article offer a flexible narratives which explores progress and unpack the diverse challenges that persists or is emerging today in our nation – building efforts and the urgent need to restore hope to Nigerians and it is against this backdrop that this essay intends to focus reflectively on the recent past of post-independence Nigeria and ponder over its shaky and uncertain future while drawing extensively from best practice from other countries with similar colonial heritage.
Over the past decade, Nigeria has blossomed both as a country and a people aimed at driving positive change. At the same time, citizenship and inclusion have come increasingly under threat from a multitude of religious and ethnic forces. Corruption, rule of law, Land tenure system, weak institutions, rising call of restructuring and resources control, are placing a severe strain on cohesive, equal and fair Nigerian state.
Curiously, realizing and protecting the right to Nigerian all is a growing challenge. Most Nigerians who are stripped of their livelihood outnumber persons who receive a fair share of the state resources. Indeed, the recent crisis in the National Assembly is a stark reminder that can escalate to the collapse of democratic institutions and in the recent past in our national memories has been the telling of pain, poverty, brutality, murder, mass extinction, every form of venality and cyclical horror ever imagined in our nation building efforts.
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While Nigeria’s post-independence record is certainly impressive to some analysts, what is saddening -and somewhat exasperating – is the realisation that we could have achieved much, much more but for political and economic mismanagement. Had our post-independence governments’ particularly the treacherous military regime led wisely, Nigeria could have been an economic powerhouse in Africa and indeed the world. Our political class -selfish and shortsighted; looking at the prevailing political and economic situation of today, it appears that no critical lessons have been learnt even after almost six decades of independence.
Furthermore, there can be no peace, stability and reconciliation as long as the political parties do not respect the rule of law and internal democracy. The future for many Nigerians seems gloomy and tedious. This despondency is commonplace.
In the final analysis, the unity and integrity of our nation do not depend on its empty political strength or structures of governance but on the will of its people. The Nigerian State needs to be re-structured and the nation re-invented for its inevitable assignation with destiny. Therefore, Nigeria at 58 faces the unfinished yet challenging task of building a new Nigeria
Samuel Orovwuje, Lagos.
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The most popular question on social media today is what is Nigeria celebrating. Point of correction to everyone thinking or asking this line of question, Nigeria is not celebrating anything rather they are observing serial/ monumental failures and structural decay. It is never a celebration but remembrance of consistence neglect of our core values, promotion of mediocrity, nepotism, ethnicity, tribalism and corruption. The past leaders of the country has shown lack of capacity to direct the country on the right part but the most painful and pitiable aspect of it all is that the current leadership has vowed to sink the remains of the country in the bottomless pit of catastrophic ocean of anarchy. Every year the political scavengers will gather together to remind the poor dying Nigerians that the situation they are facing is just a tip of an ice berg, telling them to get ready for more leadership strikes because they are not worthy to enjoy the abundant blessings of nature deposited in their domains. We are observing neo colonialism disguised as independence but we know, Nigerians know better now. Finally let me remind us that this deceit won’t stop not until we say no to it. We must stand up and take back our destiny, we can do it, Nigerians I believe strongly that we can do it.
Austin Barry social /political analyst , observing neo colonialism in form of independence of Nigerian.