October 01, (THEWILL) – At the age of sixty-three (63), the Federal Republic of Nigeria ought to have become a force to be reckoned with. Born on October 1st, 1960, Nigeria can be said to have never done well in all ramifications. Nothing is working.
The history of Nigeria can not be completely x-rayed without recounting the contributions of the colonial masters whose direct and indirect rules were greeted with mixed reactions. I was taught by my government teacher, those days in Secondary School, that France and Britain deployed various systems of colonization of Nigeria. They came, played their roles and left. The rest is history.
According to Martin Luther King Jr., “These are revolutionary times; all over the globe, men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression. The shirtless and barefooted people of the world are rising up as never before. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light… we must move past indecision to action… if we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality and strength without sight.”
Much had been written in the past about Nigeria’s stagnation. The problems had remained unchanged despite the clarion calls made by the citizens to the elected leaders for a positive change.
According to the World Bank, “Every minute, more than six Nigerians enter the extreme poverty bracket as the number of poor persons in the country race towards 95.1 million. It further reveals that in its latest 2022 Poverty and Prosperity Reports, Nigeria contributed three million (3,000,000) people to global extreme poverty, while the country is “home to a large share of the global extreme poor.”
Is Nigeria moving forward or backwards? At the age of 63, unemployment rate is high; insecurity is hitting Nigeria from the left, right and centre; Nigeria is being rocked by corruption, under-development, poverty, herdsmen activities, etcetera. Nigerians are not smiling over these.
Nigeria is celebrating its 63rd anniversary. Should we roll out the drums, dance and pump champagne? It is not necessary. But at this age, the country can still be fixed, only if we are uncomfortable with the harsh situation of things. Making things work again at 63 is possible!
As a giant of Africa, Nigeria is rated high by other nationals due to the resilience the citizens have shown. This year’s Independent anniversary is, therefore, a time for sober reflection. Of course, the ugly narratives associated with Nigeria’s history could be for the better. At 63, Instead of enjoyment, Nigerians are suffering. Can you imagine!
In his book, “An Image of Africa and the Trouble with Nigeria,” Chinua Achebe, opined that the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. According to him, there is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character.
“There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal examples, which are the hallmarks of true leadership,” he averred.
Therefore, our past Presidents: Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Late Umar’ Musa Yaradua, Goodluck Jonathan and Mohammadu Buhari can not exonerate themselves from the current travails of the socio-economic issues we are facing today in Nigeria. The problems we are facing today were supposed to have been solved in the past. Had it been the bull was held by the horns, these problems could have been crushed.
Nigeria’s leaders and citizens must realise that across the globe, leadership plays a critical role in statecraft and nations’ development. Clear examples are the “Asian Tigers” and the emerging economies of the 21st century. The Asia Tigers include Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. These countries achieved rapid economic growth between the 1950s and 1990s.
The leaders of these countries made conscious efforts at the economic growth and development of their respective countries. Today, they are enjoying what they laboured for.
It is important for Nigerian leaders to understand that economic growth and development require political will, commitment and consistency in driving progress.
For Nigeria to get to greater heights, efforts should be made to overhaul all the sectors, starting with the power.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
