Nigeria became independent on October 1st 1960, and everyone expected the giant of Africa to rise, but what happened next? At first the future looked bright. Nigeria had huge land, a growing population, and valuable resources, but just 6 years later the country suffered its first military coup. Political tensions grew, and in 1967 Biafra declared independence; a brutal civil war followed, lasting until 1970 and costing millions of lives. But here is the twist: after the war, Nigeria discovered something that could make the country incredibly rich. The 1970s brought an enormous oil boom and huge government revenues, yet military rule, corruption, and political instability continued while much of the oil wealth failed to become lasting development. So that begs a question: what happened to the giant after freedom? Nigeria survived, but turning independence into lasting prosperity became a much harder journey. As we celebrate the 66th year of independence on October 1st, one should ask two litmus questions: Do you think Nigeria has fulfilled the promise of independence? And what exactly are the prices of being a Nigerian?
The Price of Suffering and Smiling:
The first of its kind of price that one is expected to pay as a Nigerian is the “PRICE OF SUFFERING AND SMILING.” It is not only axiomatic, but it is gradually becoming a custom that one must suffer before one achieves something substantial. We have so much normalised suffering to the extent that when one suffers, one must smile. Fela famously dubbed Nigerians the “ruining crass (class).” He lamented that his people (Nigerians) are suffering and smiling. He had no idea just how right he was then, and just how bad and worse it has become. We have rather normalised suffering. “We will continue to manage” has become a national anthem. A National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) survey showed that 63% of the population (133 million people) suffers from multidimensional deprivations.
The Price of Hopelessness and Migration:
The prevailing situations in Nigeria have led many Nigerians to lose hope in the country. The Nigerians in the diaspora are the most homesick you would find anywhere in the world. I have never come across a single Nigerian on social media who wouldn’t rather be in Nigeria if the country were working. Many Nigerians are dying in the Mediterranean Sea. This has once again shown the price many Nigerians are paying 66 years after independence. For many Nigerians, the voyage through the deadly desert and the Mediterranean Sea is driven by shenanigans at home and hope abroad: hope for good living, hope for security, hope for a system that works for all. It is quite tragic that these hopes so often end in tragedy. Many families are left in mourning, lamenting loved ones who departed but never returned. This is a bitter price that one pays for being a Nigerian.
The Price of Insecurity:
Nigeria is not at ease because it is facing a serious security crisis. There is no peace in our country. One of the prices that one pays for being a Nigerian is the price of insecurity. For many years, insecurity in Nigeria has been driven by a combination of several factors, ranging from poverty and unemployment to illiteracy and ignorance, corruption, a weak security apparatus, porous borders, ethno-religious divides, and farmer-herder conflicts. These persisted because of an inadequate, misplaced, and misguided security agenda. Every country exists to provide security to all who live in it. There have been cases of highway and armed robberies here and there.
For many years, kidnapping was the order of the day, but there has recently been a shift toward kidnapping for ransom and killings. These challenges seem to have escalated far beyond what they were many years ago. One would be right to say that Nigeria cannot boast that she has provided her citizens with all these securities. With the growing challenges and the inability of the government to guarantee security and peace, the litmus question that lingers on everyone’s mind is: must we wait for another 66 years before we address these fundamental challenges head-on?
A Call to Action
It is not legislation in of themselves that matters. We must demonstrate that bad governance is bad. People knew that it is bad. What we must do is ensure behavioural change. Throughtout history, people only change their behavior when there is threat of pain, deprivation or imprisonment. We must as well create an environment that is hostile to corruption.
The time is now to change the situation. The question is: are we ready? The question is: are we writing yet another article without the conviction to do what is right and good? The question we should be asking ourselves as we celebrate another 66th year of independence is: are we ready to do what is in the best interest of our country? These are fundamental questions that we should be asking. If the country is to be liberated, it will be done by you and me. My advice today is that we must take a solemn vow that we are ready to do that which is good and right, that we will remind our leaders, and that they shall be asked, if not required, to do what they must do in order to liberate our country. Let us say, in the spirit of Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, Herbert Macaulay, Ahmadu Bello, and others, that it can be done and it must be done, because if it is not done, we are done for. If it must be done, we must all play a part in the liberation. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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