Nigeria at 65 and the Freedom Still Beyond Reach -By Usman Muhammad Salihu

Every 1st of October, the green-white-green flag flutters as a reminder of a freedom hard-won. Yet, at 65, one question still weighs heavily on the hearts of many Nigerians: are we truly free from poverty, insecurity, and division?

As Nigeria clocks 65 years of independence today, it is not merely a day of celebration but one of sober reflection. Our journey has been defined by trials—political instability, economic hardship, insecurity, corruption, and fractures that continue to test our fragile unity.

At times, it seems no other country wrestles with as much strain as ours. Yet, like in human life, our national story is a tale of trials, setbacks, and lessons waiting to be drawn from hardship.

We must not view these challenges only through the lens of despair. Instead, we should see them as opportunities to rise stronger. Every setback is a test, a call to summon resilience and inner strength.

Just as an individual grows through hardship, so too does a nation when its people confront trials with courage, humility, and determination.

Nigerians have time and again shown remarkable resilience. We rebuilt after the civil war. We have sustained democracy since 1999. We have weathered global economic storms.

We have proven that we can survive. What remains is for us to move beyond survival into genuine progress. That journey requires gratitude for how far we have come, humility to admit our mistakes, and the resolve to repair them.

The Almighty did not place us together by chance. Nigeria’s diversity, natural wealth, and youthful population are blessings we must not squander. If we can rise above tribalism, greed, and the narrowness of short-term politics, our deepest challenges can become stepping stones toward transformation.

At 65, Nigeria should not be defined by its wounds but by how it heals and grows through them. The choice is before us: will we let our struggles break us, or will we rise with gratitude and resolve to build the country of our dreams?

The answer rests with every one of us. And we must never forget this truth: Nigeria’s tomorrow will shine only as brightly as the choices we make today.

Usman Muhammad Salihu is PRNigeria Fellow. He writes from Jos, Nigeria. He can be reached via: muhammadu5363@gmail.com.