Nigeria celebrated its 63rd anniversary as an independent nation yesterday on a lowkey. It also declared today as a work free day to mark the occasion.
October 1, 1960 saw the exit of British rulers after close to a century of colonisation, followed by wild jubilations across the length and breadth of the country. The day held high hopes for Nigerians as their collective destiny was thrust into their hands.
Despite the fact that there was a grave threat to our corporate existence seven years into nationhood, resulting in a bitterly fought 30-month civil war, Nigeria made some great strides in all spheres of human endeavour a few years after independence. Beneath the euphoria of self-government, however, is the worrisome question of leadership quality.
It is not an exaggeration that today, not a few Nigerians are regretting being born into the present generation led over the years by corrupt, selfish and parochial leaders. It appears the British colonialists were more compassionate towards Nigerians than our leaders have been to their own people.
Those who looked forward to a prosperous Nigeria at independence must also be asking why we could not get it right over six decades after. The answer lies in failure of leadership and systemic corruption. The cankerworm has been with us since independence.
The phenomenon of bribery (“ten per centers”) and corruption gave the military the reason for the overthrow of the First Republic in 1966. Barefaced corruption was part of the excuses for the Murtala Mohammed coup in 1975. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari also used corruption as an alibi to stage a coup against the Shagari regime in 1983. The terrible monster has not only stuck to the nation’s foundation like a leech, it has also blossomed out of control with our leaders both military and civilian, individuals, public office holders and politicians stealing in billions and getting away with the heists.
Corruption and economic mismanagement have considerably slowed down the growth and development of this country. More than six decades after independence, Nigeria is still lagging behind in all indices of human development. Some 23 years into the 21st Century, Nigeria still cannot feed its populace from within and provide adequate electricity to drive its economy. Unemployment has not only been on the rise but is also spinning out of control with its concomitant consequences of violent crimes like armed robbery, armed banditry, kidnapping and allied crimes.
We pride ourselves in the size of our population which now hovers around 200m. But correspondingly, the nation is not developing at the same pace, thus creating a situation where we can hardly cater for the basic needs of the teeming masses. The bitter truth is that our huge population is now more of a liability than an asset, an inexhaustible pool fueling criminalities. Today, Nigerians are living in constant fear of being captured for ransoms on the highways, worship centres and even in the comfort of their homes.
While contending with these centrifugal forces, many nations that were on the same pedestal with Nigeria at independence have since achieved economic freedom. India, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia and Singapore all have positive tales to tell. They have advanced technologically and industrially.
Nigeria has all it takes to move from the Third World to the First like Singapore. But Singapore was fortunate to have a Lee Kuan Yew. Nigeria has not been that blessed. Rather, its development race has been bogged down by rudderless and corrupt leaders, worsened by a followership made up of parochial, ethnocentric characters and religious extremists.
Sixty-three years down the road, Nigerians are in a state of despair, reeling in serious economic hardship with many families unable to feed well, pay their kids’ school fees and afford hospital bills even in public hospitals.
Our economic managers appear to have run out of fresh ideas. And because we are import-dependent, the value of our currency has plummeted in recent times. The groundswell is high cost of goods and services.
At 63, Nigeria is already a grandfather but the country has not been fortunate to have offspring that are selfless and patriotic to drive its development agenda. The Tinubu administration is saddled with all manner of encumbrances raging from the consequences of fuel subsidy removal to punishing exchange rates, among others.
The organised labour is calling for the restoration of the fuel subsidy or provision of commensurate palliatives for Nigerians. With no resolution in sight, it is obvious that a full-blown nationwide strike is set to commence as from tomorrow. The strike will worsen the already bad situation, injure the economy and traumatise the common man.
This is not what Nigerians bargained for after 63 years of nationhood. We urge the Federal Government to find a quick and amicable resolution panacea to the intractable logjam. An administration that has come with a renewed hope agenda can ill-afford to watch the citizens suffer a day longer for the sins or problems that they are not part of.
