BY SANI DANAUDI MOHAMMED
Nigeria started on a promising and bright future on 1st October, 1960 when the golden voice of Africa and late Nigerian Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa delivered the nation’s memorable independence speech before world leaders.
They acknowledged Nigeria’s enormous natural endowment, the quality and quantity of our population and vast opportunities available to set our country on the path of prosperity.
The Balewas, the Ziks and the Awolowos all believed that as the elected representatives of the people, nothing is expected than proving their capabilities of managing the country honestly and diligently.
They never allowed the selfish luxury of focusing interest on their homes to overshadow their official functions. Everything was about the country and people.
Is Nigeria on the right track? Getting a nation as diverse as Nigeria back on track is a hard task, it would not happen in a decade but President Bola Tinubu being at the helm of affairs today must start the healing process and gear up towards rebuilding the lost trust, confidence and loyalty of Nigerians. On our part, we must look beyond ethnicity, politics and religion and focus on what matters to the development country by first fixing the gallops in our laws.
The first culprit is the constitution of Nigeria and it is the clog in our wheel of progress. Who created this constitution and for whom? If we do not answer the above questions, then we may hardly find the root of our problem and the solutions.
The late Sardauna was able to hold the Northern region united as Yan Arewa.
Today, it has faded under the 19 governors. As an advocate of a better Nigeria, I am not looking at Nigeria in its current comatose state but how better it will be tomorrow.
My pains are the glaring frustrations that accompanied the celebrations of our annual independence anniversary.
At the time green white green colours should cover the 36 states of the federation, others may appear in black colours to register their displeasure over the state of affairs in a country their grandparents and parents paid the supreme price for it to survive.
Despite the huge investments in human and capital developments, we cannot continue to hide behind the glass doors and pretend that all is well with Nigeria.
Awolowo, in his book “Path to Nigeria Freedom”, says there are no ‘Nigerians’ in the same sense as there are ‘English, Welsh or French.
The word Nigeria is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not.
Therefore, the challenges confronting Nigeria 63 years after could be attributed to her peculiarities of multi-ethnicity and diversity.
It is synonymous with deep divisions which cause major political issues to be vigorously and violently contested along the lines of intricate ethnic, religious and regional divisions.
The just-concluded presidential election will remain in history as the most polarised along the above sentiments.
One thing is clear, Nigerians have lived together before the creation of Nigeria itself without shooting a bullet of these divisions.
We must acknowledge and agree that the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorate was never a mistake or a question that may require any clarification. Why now? What went wrong? Who created these artificial problems to lure us into this darkness of poverty, insecurity and under-development?
It is sad that for decades after independence, Nigeria is still battling to be a homogenous state with agitation for secession by some sections of the country.
It is evident that many are yet to conceptualise Nigeria as one indivisible, sovereign state. We are celebrating Nigeria at 63 with mixed feelings and reactions. A call for President Tinubu to act fast to bring the country back to life is not an option but an inevitability.
However, President Tinubu has started the healing process by appointing eminent Nigerians into his government to discredit the failed political narratives of Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Vice president Kashim Shettima’s decision to have an Igbo and Northern Christian as his chief of staff and aide de camp, respectively, are glaring that the golden days of our founding fathers are right on track where ethnicity and religion are not the basis for appointments.
With the appointments of young people in the current political dispensation, hope is much alive that despite the challenges, Nigeria will bounce back and we shall live to see Kayode, Jude and Nduka elected as governors of Anambra, Oyo and Borno States, respectively.
“It is of great concern that Nigeria is still a study in the crises of unity and stability”
The leaders of today were never abandoned by our founding fathers; they are leaders today because of the foundations of the leaders of yesterday.
A high corruption and massive looting of state resources is one of the serious and common problems of Nigeria. The appropriation of state resources by certain hands makes poverty and bitter anger inevitable aspects of daily socio-economic and political routine.
Our diversity is not the problem. All that matters is leadership, those who led the first Republic from October 1st 1960-1966 were not ghosts.
Today, India, despite its multi-ethnic status, boasts of world-class hospitals, functional education system, enviable technology and first-rate industries that produce war planes which are used in guaranteeing security in the populous nation.
In spite of the large density of both natural and human resources with which Nigeria is endowed, all is not well yet.
It is of great concern that Nigeria is still a study in the crises of unity and stability.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria has come of age, having attained political independence for 63 years.
In spite of its numerous challenges which range from socio-economic, infrastructural deficit, insecurity to endemic corruption, Nigeria remains Africa’s Big Brother and an important member of the world body, the United Nations.
Nigeria has been on hope stories from 1960 to date. Tinubu needs to act fast and differently to get the country back on track.
Happy independence, Nigeria @63.
*Mohammed writes from Bauchi, Bauchi State via danaaudicomrade@gmail.com.
