INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION: A Recession Wooing Depression. (An Historical and Cultural Perspective) -By Folorunso Oluwatoyin

Folorunso Oluwatoyin

“Every achievement was once a dream before it becomes a reality” Lee Kwan Yew.

I read with utmost dismay, a heart drenched in melancholic joy and perplexed hope as i continue to stumble and ponder on the variant of articles and intellectual discussions as touching the sad state of the nation and her never-ending celebration of Nigeria’s independence. This has generated varying opinions among many in which many opined that the nation has nothing to celebrate as she clocks 56 today, 1st October, 2016.

Truth be said that the Nation is experiencing one of her greatest economic, socio-political and environmental crisis. This can’t be alienated from the dominant corruption cases and increase in crimes, bad governance, lack of basic amenities, underdevelopment, terrorism, malpractices, Injustice, Human trafficking, Child labor and many more. Consequently, we need not scream for independence!

From ancient past, there have always been two sides to a coin-head and tail. Meanwhile, opinions in life are more or less like the proverbial talking drum (ìlù gángan) which while it smiles at one, it frowns at another simultaneously.

Admittedly, I would probably opine otherwise, life itself is good and/or bad depending on how we personally view it. Besides, I savour objectivity in expression of mind. So, this piece is not any sort of rejoinder to anyone but an addition to other writings in the literary archives on Nigeria’s Independence

Flowing from the remains of colonialism in Africa, which was a bond of disempowerment which Africans found themselves as a result of new ways of life foisted on them, I am assertive to reflect on colonialism in a way that picks holes in the colonialists’ claims about altruism and benevolence. This is not farfetched from history, going down the memory lane to reflect on the birth of the nation’s colonialism, starting as a trade between Britain and the Niger Company (now Unilever ltd), thus revealing that this independence has more of its intent in fulfilling a business deal rather than liberating an ignorant community.

This explains why evident social injustice, corruption, deceit and alienation were lighter scourge of colonial rules having no concern for the protection of our culture, identity and lifestyle. So, all we have been doing since this 1960 is convalescing from the heavy blow of imperial rule, in which we lost our balance. We lost our culture and beliefs, the IDENTITY that by Providence, made us Africa. A new way of life was imposed on us. Gradually, things were falling apart and the centre could no longer hold! Quoting Okonkwo in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart:
“The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” Colonialism therefore brought disunity and loss of identity. This we keep striving to attain while other areas of development are left untouched.

The argument is that before the advent of the White men, our fathers recorded a whole lot of development ranging from discovering new settlements, expansion of lands for farming, chieftaincy et al, we had our identity and the strange ideas of men on canoe drastically brought us backward.

Forceful marriage could also be said a reason why we might have not grown as expected. The white, with a full knowledge of our diverse cultural beliefs, though similar in a way, decided to merge us, forgetting that friendship comes before marriage. We knew of wars among the tribes coined to be Nigeria, yet the evil-spirited white ‘joined’ us together.

Interestingly, we have reasons to celebrate this marriage (independence) as against all odds, we are still ONE NATION. One may be of intent to talk of insecurity, killings and others, well, insecurity is everywhere. Even it exists among our colonial masters and other developed countries, so ours isn’t exceptional but shouldn’t be on the maxi without checks, lacking concern by the state and at times serves as means to self agenda. The fact that WE ARE STILL A UNITED NIGERIA as their prophecy of disintegration of 2014 and less pronounced secession of the Biafra cum Bokoharam scourge….., we deserve a celebration.

We must be conscious of the likely psychological effects of the gloomy pictures of Africa as the jungle to fit the “backward, primitive and crude” on the development of Nigeria. Africa is identified with Black and to them, black is Evil. Imagine: Black Maria, Black List, Black Market, Black Sheep, Black Book, and Black as a symbol of mourning. This has caused us a lot of ill feelings of our identity. Yet, BLACK has pride, signifies strength and is might.

In the final analysis, our development as a nation or otherwise is creditable or otherwise to our colonial masters who changed our identity under the guise of colonialism in which they disrupted the people’s flow of life and culture- the culpability of European interventions in the tragic fate of Nigeria!

Our current political brouhaha and terrible state of affairs are, perhaps, a result of what we were forced to accept after taking away our own identity.

The most important TREASURE we can behold in this celebration of Nigeria at 56 is our seeming UNITED SOLIDARITY even in the harsh condition of clamour for self-determinism by the Biafra, the security houlabaloo in the North thanks to Boko-Haram, the uncaring and malicious killing by the Fulani Herdsmen and above all, an un-ending hunger and somersaulting economic policies culminating in the recent economic recession. The resurgence of government gospel of diversification of the economic remains the opium of the Nigeria people. It is only the believe of Nigerians that we have only traded Goodluck for Good-governance but a Nation that can be a reflection of positive CHANGE and further transform our luck into positive CHANGE.

However, Nigeria needs to wake up and unite, putting in more effort and reshaping her identity. It’s only a stone throw to our Canaan land. Let’s celebrate independence in anticipation of goodies ahead as we recover from the heavy blow of colonialism.

The glory of Nigeria lies in the ability of each and every one of us, citizens, residents and indigenes of the nation to see the independence of the nation as our individual liberation and as such uphold the goals of the labor of our heroes past who fought not just for the independence but for this liberation. Obeying Nigeria’s call as compatriots to defend her unity and uphold the honor and glory of the nation is all in a bid to build a nation, a livable, survivable and habitable community where every man’s say is vital and key to communal progress. A community where in one accord, we live in peace and harmony irrespective of divergence of socioeconomic backgrounds and characteristics. Building our identity in the name of the nation is vital to define what goal we can make of the Independence of the nation other than any insincere or self-interest based goals which colonization meant for the country.

God bless OAU!
God bless Nigeria!!
God bless Africa!!!

”FOLORUNSO OLUWATOYIN #2muchAkanni, is a Student of Obafemi Awolowo University OAU Ile-Ife,Osun State Nigeria.
NIGERIA’s INDEPENDENCE: TO CELEBRATE OR NOT?