On Tuesday, October 1, 2019, Nigerians, as is the tradition every year, celebrated the country’s 59th independence anniversary. A time span of 59 years is a long period of time that is capable of bring development or otherwise.
A lot must have been done or undone within the time span. From the military rule to the civilian one, various governments came and passed. Others will come and pass, too; but the entity endures.
I see the country beyond the symbiotic relationship between the leaders and the subjects, or between the oppressed and their oppressors. Rather, I see it, all of us need to reflect on this, as the only nation whose citizenship I hold. Remove me from Nigeria; I have no flag, national anthem, or geographical space to call mine.
Those who think there is nothing to celebrate in this county need a rethink. I know of and feel the pathetic condition millions of Nigerians are in; of the damage done to this country, and of the, arguably, bleak future that lies ahead.
However, it is a pity that despite the years, still Nigerians are suffering from an acute shortage of power supply that has brought the country’s industries upon their knees, the menace of bad roads that claim thousands of lives every year, high rate of unemployment that is responsible for most of the social vices the societies are faced with and the falling standard of education.
Isn’t it surprising that at 59 our politicians’ campaign promises are platitudinous? Isn’t it despicable that 59 years later majority of our farmers bend to farm and trash to thresh? But for international donors, hundreds of thousands of villages will have perished due to shortage of water supply or preventable diseases, for example.
Yet, at least the sacrifices the founding fathers of this great nation made to see the country freed from the manacles of colonialism and the various regions fused together is worth celebrating. To appreciate freedom, one needs to taste slavery.
One thing that is very important at the moment is that rather than celebrating this 59-year old “mama”, we should, all of us, go for a sober reflection; count our blessings as a nation; thank the Almighty God for them, look at our weaknesses; and explore some viable means to redress and forge ahead. This is what we have all failed to do all this while.
There is too much political rhetoric, one policy after another – coinage of vision after another. Yet Nigeria, older than a larger percentage of us, still stagnates. I think our inability to understand the factors responsible for our maladies; wholeheartedly face the challenges; and overcome them is the reason the country is where it is today.
I think the task, now, is not that of searching for a model for reforming Nigeria, as Emir Muhammadu Sanusi ii once argued, but for reforming Nigerians.
Those who witnessed the birth of this great nation and their immediate successors can still recount stories of hope they buried in their hearts and how the country fared well back then; but the questions are: why is the country faced with myriad of problems that threaten its unity? Why is it very difficult for almost everyone to govern Nigeria?
Many a hope-laden leader made promises and came into power; but only to fail after assumption of office. Some even left the office worse than they found the country. Why?
On Saturday, I attended a pre-Independence anniversary lecture themed “Peaceful Coexistence for National Unity and Development” organized by the Kano State Ministry of Information and Culture and presented by Professor Kamilu Sani Fagge of the Department of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano – at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano.
The political scientist of great repute listed disunity, state creation (in the sense of agitation), poor leadership, corruption and mismanagement as the bane of Nigeria’s development. How?
One, from the very day Nigerian was christened and self-governance was achieved there have been different policies by the successive administrations, both civilian and military, to achieve national integration and inculcate the sense of unity in the minds of Nigerians. A typical example is the National Youth Service Corps.
Religiously, racially, demographically and geographically, for instance, the Republic of India is more complex and diverse than Nigeria. But the different regions that make up the country are able to bury the hatchet and forge ahead as a nation. Today, an Indian is a replica of patriotism par excellence.
Conversely, almost every Nigerian identifies himself with a tribe or region much more than he/she does with the nation. And sadly vested interests are capitalizing on our disunity to tear the country apart. We are left with worn-out, rusted patriotism.
Two, “state creation” in the sense that Nigerian authority as a nation has been challenged by many reactionaries in many instance. The 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War was the starting point. From the Indigenous People of Biafara (IPOB) to the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND); from Boko Haram insurgency to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria’s face-off with the Federal Government; the country has witnessed the birth and growth of different reactionaries aimed at establishing a state within a state or stupefying the country’s authority.
These internal strives have refused to allow the country to progress as the country ends up facing enemies from almost every angle.
Third, corruption stands on the path of any attempt at mobilizing the country’s resources toward enhancing the living condition of Nigerians. Education, security and job creation have all become a mirage.
Nigeria is the riches black nation on planet earth and one of the leading oil producers in the world; and at the same time the world poverty capital. Excessive wealth and absolute poverty have been juxtaposed. This symmetrical relationship is caused the most by corruption. And the stigma the country bears among the comity of nations as the most corrupt nation on the earth is there to haunt us all.
However, the above in mind, among other issues considered liable, how do we swim pass the obnoxious tides? The man of letter listed responsive leadership, federal system, and good governance as the basic strategies to surmount the hurdles.
Purposeful leadership: lifelong journey of purposeful commitments made by leaders to enhance the living condition of their followers defines purposeful leadership.
For Nigeria to overcome the difficulties, visionary leaders, who are out to render genuine services, must be given a chance to run the affairs of this country. This does not end with leaders alone; we must all define our purpose, for the task takes a whole nation.
Good governance: bad governance in Nigeria is regarded as the root cause of social vices that are bedeviling the country. This has led to weak public institutions, wastage or diversion of public resources.
Nigerians are being pauperized on almost a daily basis that kidnapping, robbery, cattle rustling, political thuggery and, in general, total insecurity are the order of the day.
Accountability, transparency, efficiency and equitability should be instilled in public institutions to restore the waning public confidence in them. Even the much-talked about corruption in this country is ‘rooted in the failure and virtual collapse of governance’, as is contained in the NEEDS document.
To clear away the structural imbalances, manipulation and cost of governance, the country should consider the federal system of government or what is referred to as “true federalism”. Clarification should be made between what the country practices and “true federalism”.
In the final analysis, it is high time we confessed that we have all compromised to some extent for serving as enemies’ claws or being complacent. As so long as Nigerians remained ignorant, do celebrate and cherish their oppressors no system will reform the country.
Abdulhamid writes via [email protected]
Twitter: yassara2013
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