And Nigeria is 60! Let Us Reflect A Little
Today is Nigerian Independence! And all over the world, citizens will be celebrating this milestone as we have done in past years. However, our celebration this year and as in the last few years have been kind of subdued. Call it the effects of Covid-19; or more accurately, the realization that after all these years, we have absolutely nothing to celebrate as we turn 60. It is amazing that a country so blessed with abundant human and natural resources have been unable, for whatever reason, to harness those natural endowments to the benefit of the country. It is shameful that after 60 years of self-rule, we still do not have good pliable roads. All our industries set up by the British during colonial rule have all fallen into disrepair due to our ignorance or straight up because we have no idea what to do with them, meanwhile hunger and poverty are more the order of the day than anything else.
In every aspect of Nationhood, we have failed ourselves. Yes, and after several tries, we made a transition to civilian rule, but that in itself has been more of a boondoggle and a bane to progress. Under the defunct NPN, I remember their slogan of “One Nation, One Destiny.” The meaning of that slogan has eluded us up till today. From all practical purposes, Nigeria can never be one Nation. We have so much dichotomy that even the blind should have noticed that the differences between the various tribes that make up the Nigerian contraption is so stark it will be impossible to think we can operate as a people. This alone should have guided the original drafters of our constitution to come up with a formular that would have recognized those differences and enshrine in our constitution laws that will ensure our tribal and ideological differences are recognized. Instead, we looked to our colonial masters and adopted their own system of governance which we know works best for a more homogenous community than ours.
Even after we abandoned the parliamentary system of governance for the more decentralized Presidential system, we still failed to devolve authority and control of our resources to reflect our tribal and ideological differences. There is something about the average Nigerian and absolute authority. Even among the Igbo tribe, whose traditions reflect a more democratic way of governance, their leaders today have opted for authoritarianism over their traditional methods. Let us face facts, Nigeria is as diverse as can be. It is common knowledge that our traditions and customs differ even within the various tribes. So how do we, in all our wisdom, believe that we could exist with rules that do not accommodate or even recognize our cultural differences. What a fallacy! Nigeria have failed because we have opted to repeatedly lie to ourselves about who we are. The reason we concentrate power in the center is to make it easy for any tribe, or persons in power to be able to manipulate the nations resources to the detriment of the other tribes in the country.
So, Nigeria is 60 today and what do we have to show for it, nothing! Nothing because individually, we have failed ourselves and collectively we have failed our nation. Cumulatively, we have so many challenges that one wonders where to begin? But despite all those challenges, our focus is not in solving our multiple challenges; rather on creating an environment where we; as individuals or tribes, would benefit the most.
At 60, Nigeria is worse off than we were during the British rule. At a minimum, and under British rule, we had electricity, running water, roads, and functioning institutions. Our world was relatively safer back then. But look at us today! No light, no roads, and all our institutions have either succumbed to lack of maintenance or corruption. Every day, we watch and exclaim in horror and from the safety of our hiding places, as our brothers and sisters die in vehicle crashes due to bad roads and utter lawlessness. Kidnapping and ritual killings has become the latest skill for our hapless young graduates and teeming youth who cannot find jobs to make ends meet. Our daughters have turned to selling their bodies to the highest bidder as a way to feed their parents who could no longer fend for themselves.
At 60, almost every tribe in Nigeria is agitating for their own statehood. MEND wants to be autonomous. MASSOB and IPOB are leading the charge for the creation of Biafra, Afenifere is yearning for a more homogeneous Yoruba tribe and most recently the ODUDUWA group is asking for autonomy of the Yoruba from Nigeria. AREWA on the other hand is agitating for their own autonomy as well, despite being a bit muted about their goals since they have controlled all facets of governance in Nigeria since independence. One is left to wonder, what is it about this country that every member wants out? A good question if we had an answer.
At 60, we continue to experience an uneven distribution of resources throughout the country. The Fulani hardmen continue to run amok with wanton destruction of farmers land and property, while our government officials see nothing wrong with that behavior. Why in the world would Nigeria, after 60 years of civilization continue to think that grazing cattle in city streets is the right thing to do? Who do they expect to clean up all contamination and cow dung left to pollute the environment and our water ways? Even during the 50s and 60s when Nigeria was exporting hides and skins, we never had this challenge of constant conflict between herdsmen and farmers. So, what happened one might ask?
At 60, Nigeria as a nation does not produce anything of substance. Even as one of the largest exporters of oil, we do not have functional refineries to refine our oil. While we drill the oil in the South, most of our refineries are located in the North adding unnecessary costs to production. Rather than refurbish our dilapidated refineries, we are content with refining our oil overseas. At 60, Nigeria as a country is incapable of providing steady electric for its citizens but was quick to hike the electricity tariff.
A fool at 40 is a fool forever, and if Nigeria as a nation and at 60 cannot get her act together, it is safe to assume there is no hope for us. Based on social media commentaries and lack of the usual pomp and pageantry that typifies our Independence Day, it is safe to believe that most Nigerians are coming to terms with the fact that our beloved country is a failed nation. What a sad commentary! But it is up to us. We could continue to minimize the atrocities going on in our country with jokes and social media comedy, but must understand that one way or the other, we all will be impacted by these outcomes. I am calling on every well-meaning Nigerian to please reengage and help find solutions to our current dilemma. We may not be the ones to eventually reap the benefits of our work, but the legacy we leave today will last a lifetime.
Finally, Nigeria is 60 today. How do you feel about it!
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