At 62: The Nigeria’s Independence And The Future We Desire -By Babatunde Qodri

It can be argued that ever since Nigeria got her independence in 1960, the country hasn’t got it worse like this. Every year is filled with insurmountable challenges beyond the control of both the leaders and citizens. It appears, sincerely, as if the country has been cursed. Every opportunity to believe in Nigeria’s prosperity is dashed by litany of crises ranging from insecurity, poor education and health systems and economic downturn. The country seems to have been brought to her knees.

People from different corners of the country are not moved by the occasion of independence. The convention of this remarkable celebration is a history remembered with with joy and happiness. Many other African countries are overwhelmingly celebrating their independence with scores of remarkable feats, despite avoidable crises. The case isn’t the same here in Nigeria where leaders who are expected to make people proud resort to disappointing charade to the detriment of the country.

To start with, the ongoing industrial action by university lecturers says a lot about how blighted Nigeria has been. Students have been away from classrooms for months. One would expect that a 62-year-old country should have grown past deleterious distractions capable of creating barricade in the way of her education system. It really hurts that a sector as eminently important as education can be allowed to suffer while the Government continues to fund frivolities. The question is, which country develops or has developed without serious attention to education?

In other words, education in Nigeria is now in a comatose state. It’s hard to believe that this is Nigeria where Sir Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, and others once lived and governed. Nigeria’s present predicament evident in the shameless willingness and obsession of her leaders with greed has ruined those past years of free education packaged to sincerely liberate Nigerians for the sake of genuine patriotism. What used to be, in terms of quality, transformative education, now constitutes a culture of abandonment taking a heavy toll on the survival and growth of the country.

Insecurity is another problem. Several Nigerians have been in captivity for years. We are now the headquarters of banditry and kidnapping for ransom. Non-state actors have taken advantage of the country’s vulnerability to unleash horrors on daily basis. And the complete loss of strength by people constitutionally paid and expected to protect lives and property heightens fears. Because of this unwholesome reality, the country has become a no-go area for foreign investors who should have helped her economically. The fact that people are becoming strangers in their homeland explains the mass migration of Nigerians out of the country in search of averagely better and more peaceful climes. Internal unrest, sadly, continues to drag the country backward.

This reality is worsened by intractable corruption. Despite being an oil-producing country, it’s still disgusting to hear that Nigeria cannot refine her oil, the consequence of which makes the country hugely indebted. While other OPEC countries, amid restrictions posed by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, leverage the international market, Nigeria is wallowing in a financial crisis as a result of endless oil theft. Isn’t it funny that the country has to borrow to service her debt? This is indicative of the depth of mess in which Nigeria is in.

Unarguably, Nigeria need surgent solutions through the diversification of its economy. We need to take advantage of modern agriculture to produce what we consume and vice versa. The country should stop wasting funds meant for critical goods on exotic cars for politicians. Our Government must decently invest in the education sector, health care system, and others.

Plus, effective legislation is paramount. Nigeria is in dire need of a fresh set of leaders with brand new ideas; leaders who are committed to viable plans and collective change. The issue of climate change must also be given urgent attention. climate change and poverty have the same root cause and their impact is contributory to the national underdevelopment the country is witnessing.

As we move into 2023, Nigerians should understand that our country deserves a befitting future. So we must be interested in candidates who will focus on doing the right thing at the right time. We must go for candidates with clear readiness and vision to transform our education system and uphold justice and transparency. We must do away with activities capable of fueling the embers of disunity in the country. 2023 should be about these.

Babatunde Qodri can be reached through babatundelaitan@gmail.com