NIGERIA AFTER 54 YEARS....

This picture is the old view of Oshodi Lagos, the present view is more appealing though, but its not what i want to use. Source: Google

Nigeria at 54…

Faced with so many challenges;

Leadership challenges…

Economic challenges…

Social cultural challenges… among many challenges…

Despite the killings and challenges

Nigeria, my father’s land challenges us…

When will the youths see themselves as strength of nation…?

When will myopic and sentiment exit our politics…?

When will corruption and poverty be the things of the past…?

Mother is calling out and crying out!!!

Calling us to provide solutions to these challenges…

All hail the giant of Africa…at 54

If I am right, it was Tafawa Balewa who said on the eve of independence: “When our pages in history are written, and our place in posterity is sealed...Let it be said that we were a generation of the fearless but not heartless, let it be mentioned that we were cruel to injustice and committed to complete justice, that we strived for a better world to thrive, and struggled for a greater future for tomorrow...That as youths, we were heralds of change and carriers of tomorrow's dreams...” The above speech I presume was altered about 57 years ago, when our

heroes past were busy fighting for the emancipation of an independent Nigeria; where are the youths to carry the destiny of this country many years after that speech was given? Instead of agreeing with the dreams of these past nationalist and creating a viable, corrupt-free and developed country, the youths are busy castigating the fight for an independent Nigeria and wish they were still under the British rule…

Nigeria, the site of many ancient kingdoms and empires, Nigeria has its origins in the British colonization during the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries where it emerged from the combination of two neighboring British protectorates: the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate.

During the colonial period, the British set up administrative and legal structures whilst retaining traditional chiefdoms. The most populous Black Country achieved independence in 1960, but plunged into civil war several years later. It has since alternated between democratically-elected civilian governments and military dictatorships, with its 2011 presidential elections being viewed as the first to be conducted reasonably freely and fairly.

Nigeria is a Federal Republic modeled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president. It is influenced by the Westminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature.

Ethnocentrism, tribalism, religious persecution, and prebendalism have affected Nigerian politics both prior and subsequent to her independence in 1960. Kin-selective altruism has made its way into Nigerian politics, resulting in tribalism efforts to concentrate Federal power to a particular region of their interests.

Despite the abundance of natural resources in Nigeria, she is yet to develop industries that could convert them to global use.

Nigeria is often referred to as the “Giant of Africa,” but that is majorly due to its large population. With approximately 174 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world.

Even though Nigeria’s economy (Gross Domestic Product) became the largest in Africa in the year she is celebrating her independence, not much is reflected in the lives of her citizens. For example, electricity is yet to stabilize in many parts of the country; water in many Nigeria’s communities is a source of worry; many lives are lost daily on poor roads; and corruption in both the low and high places is not a secret topic.

Millions of Nigerians have emigrated at times of economic hardship, primarily to Europe, North America and Australia. It is estimated that over a million Nigerians have emigrated to the United States and constitute the Nigerian-American populace.

Her human rights record remains poor and government officials at all levels continue to commit serious abuses.

According to the US Department of State, the most significant human rights problems are: extrajudicial killings and use of excessive force by security forces, impunity for abuses by security forces, arbitrary arrests, prolonged pretrial detention, judicial corruption and executive influence on the judiciary, rape, among other issues.

The health care system is continuously faced with a shortage of doctors, known as ‘brain drain,’ due to the fact that skilled Nigerian doctors emigrate to North America and Europe. In 1995, it was estimated that 21,000 Nigerian doctors were practicing in the United States alone, which is about the same as the number of doctors working in the Nigerian public service, a sign of a country that has failed in its healthcare system.

It is truism that at almost the same time that Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom on October 1, 1960, several other countries also achieved the same deed. For instance, Cyprus, (August 16, 1960 but celebrates her independence on October 1, 1960, the same day with Nigeria), an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea…

Malaysia (August 31, 1957), a Southeast Asian country, is only about three years older than Nigeria...Singapore (August 9, 1965) is Nigeria’s ‘younger sister’ by five years. It seceded from the Malaysian Federation. However, 54 years after, while some of these countries have got global reputations for their improved economies through manufacturing and export of their products, Nigeria still seems to rely on other countries of the world for her survival, that is a fault and loophole that need to be fixed and filled.