NIGERIA AT 52

Nigeria, a country not a nation as it claims to be celebrates her 52 years of independence from Britain who claims to be the nursing mother of this African country, ironically, a child given birth to since 1960 is expected to have grown up and successfully build a family, but it’s funny how our country is still struggling. It is not a new thing to know that on October 1st every year, Nigeria as a country celebrates her independence, this was a period recorded to be the time the “green white green” flag was raised. I sit wondering and pondering on the present state of my dear country and the journey so far, with great disenchantment and melancholy my mind bothers on what exactly we are celebrating. I believe this date should be tagged a day of sober reflection and an avenue for retreat of both leaders and followers, because I believe both the leaders and people are confused hiding under the shadow and pretense of a nation. With plethora of problems faced today in Nigeria, from the rise of militancy now at Boko Haram, from privatization to corruption, to underprivileged athletes who go around the world without winning any medals, privatization of the oil sector to increased price of fuel among many other issues, we can conclude that the country needs more than just what both the people and leaders are doing. I don’t mean to be cynical about this whole situation or talk about Nigeria, but I believe that if we get our priorities right, we can go beyond a fluctuating economic system, bad road network, corruptions both among government officials and in the academic environment. Nigeria they say is the ‘land of dreams’, but I ask myself, how could one possibly sleep in an atmosphere where explosion hits news headlines every week, or more so, how could I possibly sleep in a country where one sleeps with fear of increased fuel price or tuition fee for education. With a more sober reflection I weep for a country where the people do not govern in a democratic society rather a few people rule and dictate on what the future of Nigeria holds. Conclusively, I humbly sing again the tune of our heroes past ‘God bless Nigeria’.