Nigeria, a country in western Africa with an estimated population of 150 million people gained independence in October 1st 1960 and will turn 50 on October 1st 2010. My country Nigeria is so blessed in almost all the known natural resources of our time and has over the years been known as a major oil producing country, as such it has made huge amount of money that it could in real sense become the envy of the whole world in terms of infrastructural development, technology advancement etc but the reverse is the case as my country Nigeria has been plagued by men and women who call themselves leadesr but who in the actual sense are all rogues that do nothing but enrich themselves, their family, friends and well wishers at the expense of Nigeria hence making Nigeria a place of scorn which even at 50 has not in any way shown a glow towards emergence.
Having said the above, it becomes important that I state clearly that as a Nigerian who grew up in Nigeria; my parents usually told me this in the Nigerian pidgin english "Öne day eh go better" but to tell you the truth, today I'm quite old and Nigeria as a country hasn't in one way or the other shown any response towards the positive in the sense that the things I used to consider good as a child are now in total bad shape because they keep degrading yearly. To attest this fact, when I was studying in primary school as a young boy, we had teachers who were so determined to pass on knowledge to us but today the government has made things so hard for the teachers to the extent that the Nigerian educational sector is nothing but dead hence most teachers now are reluctantly doing their jobs or even not doing it well knowing fully that the Nigerian government is doing everything possible to kill this sector. I might go on and on giving instances of how things have so degraded in my Country.
Lately this 2010, I remembered that my country Nigeria will turn 50 this year. Suddenly, a thought in form of a resounding question kept bugging my mind and that was "what will Nigeria celebrate at its golden independence anniversary?". Here are the answers that came to my mind
1) Corruption
As year 2010 continued in its elapsing speed, I have come to realize as a Nigerian that my country leaders will definitely celebrate corruption on October 1st 2010. Why? Because the government has decided to spend about 10 billion Naira which after much talk amongst Nigerians home and abroad has been cut down to 6 Billion Naira. How on earth does an independent celebration of a country which amidst its wealth wallows in poverty cost 6 Billion Naira when this amount of money can actually be used to at least provide infrastructure. Furthermore, the government is celebrating corruption in the sense that there is totally nothing to celebrate apart from the fact that the leaders old and new will in one way or the order showcase to us how the shackles of corruption has so held them that they will in one way or the other say things which are actually not true but rather will tells lies on October 1st 2010 either through their speeches or congratulatory messages on the pages of newspapers. They will celebrate corruption because that's all that is ringing in their head especially the those men and women in the Nigerian national assembly who over the years at the expense of Nigeria are wallowing in wealth by doing totally nothing and October 1st will be a day for them to show this to the world.
2) Dead Educational sector.
This celebration in one way or the other tells me that these leaders are happy about how Dead the Education Sector in Nigeria has become over the years. Why? Because from what I know and have studied over time, When a man is worried about things not been well and not to talk about been extremely bad as the case of the Nigerian Education Sector, such man does not celebrate in whatsoever ways notwithstanding anything but will at all cost choose to put his house in order after which he will declare a big time celebration for people to rejoice with him, hence I deem it necessary to SAY THAT OUR LEADERS WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY DECLARED THIS DAY A SAD DAY AND A DAY TO REALLY THINK ON HOW BEST TO DO THINGS IN THIS COUNTRY THAT WILL YIELD THE VERY BEST RESULT WE WANT. They should use this day to map out ways through which our education sector can be put back into the best of its working condition. Question for all the leaders, Please where are your kids schooling? This question exposes them a lot because non of them will actually answer it.
3) Governments Failure.
This year independence celebration by the Nigerian government for sure having looked at all spheres in my country Nigeria is a celebration of governments failure. How can a government who over 50 years failed to provide its citizens with the basic human amenities of life celebrate its independence(not FAILING TO MENTION THAT THIS DAY IS A DAY OF OUR FREEDOM AS A COUNTRY FROM OUR COLONIAL MASTERS) and not only celebrate but celebrates it with such amount of money that if used in the best of ways will go a long way in saving Nigerians of the hurdles they face daily due to governments failure.
4) Unfulfilled Promises
Over the years in Nigeria, several leaders has ruled and gone but how much of the electoral promises did these leaders fulfill talk-less of them doing their constitutionally provided jobs? I doubt if any but one thing I know is that they fulfilled "the promise of, I will steal the money once I get into office and this they did all through their tenure"
So if the Federal and state government knows this! Then why call for a galore and jamboree of October 1st Celebration with 6Billion or more? This is because, they lack shame in that they have become so used and addicted to not fulfilling their electoral promises and constitutional duties and as such they want to tell us, Nigerians that they don't care amidst their unfulfilled promises and failure to perform their constitutional duties for 50 years.
5) Scared Followers
The Nigerian Leader and Nigerians at large will on October 1st 2010 celebrate the scared Nigerian follower. scared in the sense that we can't stand these men/women in their face and tell them the truth about how badly they have damaged Nigeria. The Nigerian follower chooses to suffer it alone even when he/she has the knowledge that this is what government should do or have done for them.
The reasons are so many that time will not permit me to state all of them but I really feel it and in so many ways have come to conclude that October 1st 2010 should be declared a day that Nigerians and those in the helm of affairs in Nigeria should make amends in whatsoever ways that will yield the very best results which for 50 good years we as a country have failed to get.
Here are my suggestions if at all the Nigerian government still wants to celebrate it
1) Government should use this day to apologize to Nigerians born and unborn on their neglect of their functions.
2) All past leaders of Nigeria should openly come out and apologize to Nigerians in sincerity, integrity and honesty about how they ruled Nigeria by stacking away money into foreign accounts during their tenure and totally refund all stolen money to Nigeria.
3) Nigerians should also apologize to government on their thinking that it is only Government that can bring about the needed glory that Nigeria needs and wants so badly today.
The list will go on and on but the summary is that if there is need for any celebration it should be the kind where all parties, personalities, individuals, groups goes back to the drawing board and ask this question "WHAT WENT WRONG IN NIGERIA?" AND ONE THING I KNOW IS THAT THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION WILL DEFINITELY COME ONCE IT IS ASKED WITH AN UNWAVERING LOVE FOR NIGERIA.
For all I can say now is that my country Nigeria is celebrating its death..Lack of basic human amenities, Lack of security, Lack of Good governance, Lack of good health sector, Lack of roads(not even lack of bad roads), Lack of integrity, sincerity, honesty and Love for Nigeria amongst Nigerian Leaders, presence of corruption and Lack of everything called good in terms of Leadership.
Please, Nigeria as a country needs an urgent fix least we become empty as a country over time.
Arise...Arise..Nigeria's call we must obey..And this call and its obedience must be in the total positive..Because if every hand is on deck in Nigeria by a change of mindset borne out of Love governed by honesty, sincerity and integrity I so presume that Nigeria would certainly be a better place in the next few years.
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
God Bless Nigeria.
