October 01, (THEWILL) – Nigerians at home and abroad, this Sunday, October 1, will mark the 63rd anniversary of the political independence of their country . The day will be marked with low celebration across the states and Federal Capital Territory in line with the directives of President Bola Tinubu. Today’s anniversary will therefore be devoid of the usual fanfare and ceremony that we used to witness in the years past.
This year’s anniversary, no doubt, is another opportunity to reflect on our past and present challenges to enable us move forward as a country that is destined for greatness, given the immense human and material resources that abound in Nigeria.
The country is not only the eight largest democracy in the world but also one of the eight biggest oil producers globally, yet without a functional refinery. However, it is really sad to note that the most populous black nation on earth remains a toddler in terms of national development and actual progress after over six decades of independence with extreme poverty and real hunger in the land.
With selfish leaders without vision dwarfing the country’s development and progress over the years, there can never be a better time for sober reflection than now. With all developmental indexes at an all-time low and in the red for Nigeria, it is not surprising that the country has failed woefully with the leaders making a big mess of the opportunities to really make a difference over the years.
The 2022 Corruption Index ranked Nigeria at 150 out of 180 countries by Transparency International while electricity supply has fluctuated scandalously between 3,000 and 5,000 megawatts since 1999 even as no fewer than 133 million Nigerians are dimensionally poor, according to a survey sponsored by the Federal Government and the World Bank.
The unemployment rate is still high, standing at 41 per cent, according to KPMG, with agriculture, which provides 25 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, accounting for 70 per cent of its labour force.
Lamenting the multi-dimensional challenges currently facing Nigeria, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abass, who was addressing members of the House on resumption from their holidays last week, said all hands must be on deck to check the palpable gloom pervading the country.
“The country is challenged on several fronts…. National Security remains precarious, cost of living crisis occasioned by high cost of energy, cost of food skyrocketing daily, lack of liveable wages, the negative effects of the unpredictable and fluctuating foreign exchange rates, a disappearing middle class…people are hungry and despondent,” he said.
Moving Nigeria forward therefore requires a joint effort from both the leadership and the governed to foist a system that celebrates integrity and excellence instead of the past experience where partisan politics, godfatherism and ethnic bigotry, among other social ills, succeeded in depriving the country of the right and efficient leadership that would have moved the country forward at a real faster rate.
As Nigerians mark the 63rd independence anniversary in their own ways, taking time to reflect on where we got it wrong, we urge our people to look at the bright side of life and be hopeful that the future that lies ahead of us is surely bright and all the gloom we are seeing today will surely be a thing of the past with time if we do the right things.
