Exactly 58 years ago, today, Nigeria attained political independence as a sovereign nation from the British colonial masters. The journey of nationhood for Nigerians thus began on October 1, 1960 and the past five decades and eight years have really been quite challenging for Nigeria as a nation. Despite the challenges, the country has been able to chalk some notable gains, as well, in terms of social, political and economic developments that have come our way over the years.
However, the journey to nationhood has not been so smooth as Nigeria’s chequered history has also been characterised by pockets of crises and turbulence, notably among which was the fracticidal civil war that rocked the country to its foundation from July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970. The outbreak of the Nigerian civil war was actually the culmination of the tensions that immediately followed the nation’s independence across the various ethnic divide, especially between 1960 and 1963, after which the country became a full Republic.
We however take solace in the mercy and grace of God over this country for keeping Nigeria as one single entity, 58 years after independence, despite all the challenges
The tensions which resulted from the disagreements and mutual distrust in the allocation and control of resources and prime positions among the three main ethnic groups eventually led to the first military coup of 1966 and the much deadlier counter-coup as well as the ethnic persecution which immediately followed the coups.
Though the country has moved on since the end of the fracticidal civil war, some lessons have been learnt while the country is still grappling with others, especially the contentious clamour for restructuring, which , of course, has now assumed different colorations and interpretations.
The 33 years of military rule in the country also did not come without its negative effects on the journey towards nationhood as the military juntas that ruled Nigeria at different times between 1966 and 1979 as well as the later ones between 1983 and 1998 institutionalized corruption and other social vices which the country is still battling to combat till today.
During the inglorious era of the military, the Constitution, which is the basis of democratic rule, was shoved aside in preference for the ‘rule of the gun’ and orders from the Army Generals, who were mostly quite inexperienced in the art of governance. While the nation’s resources were squandered and real development really suffered during the military era, the return to democratic rule in 1999 brought some succour. A little bit of normalcy and decency returned to governance and the country witnessed some real developments as Nigeria formally returned to the comity of democratic nations.
Though the damage done by the combined years of military rule continues to haunt the country in all areas of life, the opportunities and goodwill which accompanied the return of democratic rule have also been squandered through the actions and inactions of corrupt politicians, especially in the last 19 years.
It is sad and disgusting that Nigeria, an oil-producing country that is richly endowed in both human and material resources by every standard, has now assumed the inglorious status of the “world’s poverty capital’ with the Federal Government looking for hand-outs from almost everywhere to fund our budgets and provide the basic infrastructure for the people.
We therefore call on the leaders and the entire Nigerians to ponder on our journey towards nationhood so far and reflect on how to make the future better. The Point believes that this is no time for celebration and the rolling out of drums as the country’s current situation really calls for a sober reflection and introspection This is also no time for grandstanding nor a time to play the ostrich. Rather, this is the time to call a spade a spade and not a time for blame game. Nobody is happy at the kind of economic policies that would return the country to a state of economic recession so soon after the country exited the last one within just a period of one year. The need for us to industrialise is becoming clearer now than before.
We however take solace in the mercy and grace of God over this country for keeping Nigeria as one single entity, 58 years after independence, despite all the challenges. We also commend the sacrifice and contributions of the men and officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces for putting their lives on the line in the service of their fatherland, especially those who had to pay the supreme price in defense of the country.
As we look forward to many more years ahead in the journey to full nationhood, we congratulate Nigeria and Nigerians on this important anniversary. Long live Nigeria.