The journey of Nigeria from 1st of October 1960 till date is so adventurous and one cannot exhaustively account for all that transpired. Today being 1st of October 2011, Nigeria is celebrating 51 years of independence and 12 years of democracy- whether this anniversary is worth celebrating or not, only the citizens can tell. Taking a cursory look at the story so far, Nigeria's history is an interesting one as the nation has been through a lot before and after independence under the headship of various leaders who have served in different capacities.
The last year golden jubilee celebration left a question in the minds of many; is there a future for Nigeria? The results of this year's April polls confirmed by many as credible is perceived as a new revolution for the nation as President Goodluck Jonathan takes up the mandate to make the dreams of Nigerians come true. Sadly, the election was not devoid of violence as series of Bomb Attacks claimed the lives of some Nigerians especially the members of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) who gave up their lives in the service of their beloved nation, may their souls rest in peace.
The new administration had barely started when Terrorism struck like a plague causing social and political instability and loss of lives. This has been a serious threat to the nation's security as the Bokoharam sect (an Islamic group that repels western education and seek the imposition of Shariah law in northern states) claim responsibility for the series of bomb attacks that pierced the heart of so many families as they buried their loved ones. This leaves us with questions like - is Nigeria still a safe place to dwell? What image are we projecting to the world?
Nigeria's situation can be likened a prisoner who was discharged 51 years ago but refused to set himself free and is still locked up in the imaginary prison he built for himself. I want to define the Nigerian government with just one word – MESS. They eat corruption as food and injustice as drink. When are we going to actually gain freedom from poverty, social discrimination, political crises, misappropriation of funds, economic mismanagement, epileptic power supply, increase crime rate, bribery and corruption, unemployment, poor health care and infrastructures, low educational standard, inflation, crumbling industrialization, debt and so on. We celebrate 51 years of independence but cannot boast of 1 year of uninterrupted power supply.
To be frank, only few citizens understand what good governance should look like. The most irritating thing is that even the youths who are supposed to be the future are betraying our confidence. Leaders and followers, godfathers and godchildren, don’t infuriate the defenseless citizens; don’t start a war you cannot wait to fight, circulate the money, don’t accumulate wealth in the midst of hungry citizens. How many people can proudly hold the Nigerian flag? maybe the footballers and the ambassadors, as they are left with no choice but to represent the country.
The future is green for this nation but for us to build a better Nigeria, all hands must be on deck, it will take a joint effort to achieve great things and become the envy of all and not the ridicule. Nigerians should quit pointing accusing fingers and shifting blames on leaders when individuals are not even committed to the little responsibilities they have been given to take care of. Let us build on what the past heroes have done, with a synergetic approach, we can make it work. Join me to build a better Nigeria. Happy anniversary!
