Kalu Okwara, Innocent Okonkwo, Kola Adepoju (Abeokuta), Napoleon Ehiremen
30 September 2008
Warri — PROMINENT Nigerians and groups, yesterday took divergent positions on Nigeria's performance since independence even as they agreed that the citizenry should show more than a passing interest in lifting the nation to a new height.
Nigeria marks her 48th independence anniversary tommorow. The country gained independence from the British Colonial masters on October 1, 1960.
However, while Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, his predecessor, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, erstwhile head of state, Yakubu Gowon, former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, chairman Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and renowned insurance guru, Prof. Joe Irukwu said the country has done fairly well despite huge challenges, Pro-National Conference of Nigeria (PRONACO) and Afenifere said the country wasted huge opportunities to launch itself to one of the world's great nation.
Speaking at the special inter-denominational service to mark Nigeria's 48th independence anniversary in Abuja, Vice President Jonathan said Nigeria would overcome its challenges if the right things in the eyes of God were done.
"On assumption of office we committed ourselves to doing things right through a faithful observation of the rule of law.
"Our belief was and still remains that if we follow the path of righteous nations, we will benefit from the biblical injunction that righteousness exalts a nation," he said.
He said the problems confronting the nation would definitely be overcome and that the promise which God had ordained for Nigeria would come to pass.
Quoting from the book of Proverbs (13:34), the Vice President said that the country would overcome all calamities and difficulties facing the country if the right things were done.
He urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the country, stressing that with prayers, " Nigeria will move swiftly to greater success."
In his sermon, Archbishop John Onaiyekan, President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said the country would make progress in spite of the terrible experiences of the past.
Onaiyekan said the past 48 years had been turbulent for the country as there were marred with political instability, economic woes, social apathy, adding that they were self inflected.
"Since they are man-made, it is reversible if only we can turn to GOD and ask for pardon for our sins," he said.
He said that it was the prayers of Nigerians that had kept the nation afloat, adding that the leaders should work with the fear of God.
According to him, the greatest miracles are the routine daily blessings of God as we do our duties.
"The country is blessed and endowed with abundant natural resources and God has shielded us from natural disasters.
"We should, therefore, be honest and sincere in our religious ordinances and duties to the nation," he urged.
He called for the rededication of leaders, stressing: "God has being very merciful and kind to us as a nation."
"We have to be kind and merciful to each other, especially those Nigerians in prison without trial," he said.
"Our leaders have set aside the common good of the nation for selfish personal interest, this is the time we have to be generous to fellow Nigerians in need of amnesty.
"Offering forgiveness and reparation are necessary for the well-being of the country and for the good of the people."
Former Head of State, Gen. Gowon, said all hope was not lost as the nation celebrated its 48th Independence Anniversary.
"We have to celebrate every year that God has given us and as a country, we have to thank God for the past years," Gowon told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
"Nigeria will exist and continue to exist, and the great news today is that Nigeria as a nation," he said.
The former Head of state, who noted that the country had experienced difficult time in the past, stressed the need for prayers to enable God direct our path as a nation.
Also speaking to NAN, former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, said the nation was on track to poverty eradication.
Ekwueme said all hands should on deck to ensure that Nigeria attained greatness and assume its position of leadership in Africa.
He said that the future looked bright for the country, stressing that "our activities should be guided by the fear of God".
Also speaking to the Minister of State for Education, Dr Jerry Agada, appealed to Nigerians to join hands with the government in actualising the dreams of making the nation great.
"We, as Nigerians have to be hopeful because the future looks bright for us if we work closely and collectively with the zeal and commitment of the present administration," he said.
In his own contribution, the former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Tinubu said the coincidence of marking this year years Eid Fitri and Nigeria's 48th Independence anniversary was a divine call for national redemption.
In a statement signed by the chief press secretary to Tinubu yesterday, the former governor congratulated muslims on a successful Ramadan and wished them a joyful celebration of Eid Fitri.
He regretted the violence in the Niger Delta and called on the parties to dialogue and cease hostilities.
He, however, insisted that only rapid infrastructure development, economic re-engineering and good governance would bring about lasting peace in the region.
He said though Nigeria at 48 was not yet the Nigeria of the collective dream of the people, he added that the month of Ramadan offered Nigerian Muslims the opportunity to intercede, on the behalf of other Nigerians, for a better country.
"Nigeria has every ingredient for greatness: confident, determined and industrious people, matched with stupendous natural resources." But to get to that Promised Land, we all must gird our loins and work hard for national salvation and redemption," he said.
The former governor appealed to Nigerians, who he were too critical of themselves, to look at the sunny side of life and focus on strengthening the current democracy to achieve national greatness and economic plenitude.
"Our democracy, may not be as strong as most of us would have wished." But we should look at the bright side. Even with so little in terms of tangible, the intangibles of freedom of expression and association, coupled with the emerging free enterprise, it is far better than military dictatorship, the plague of which we are still struggling to be rid of, 48 years after independence," he said.
While urging religious leaders, Muslim and Christian, to pray for Nigerian leaders, he made a passionate call to governments at all levels to deliver on campaign promises and put a smile on the face of the people.
Also speaking Ademola, according to a statement by the Information Officer to the Ogun State Governor, Mr. Ayokunle Ewuoso, yesterday in his sermon en-titled "Peace in Ogun State and the way forward" at the special church service held at the Cathedral Church of St" Peters Ake, Abeokuta in commemoration of the Nigeria's Independence enjoined Nigerians to give peace a chance.
According to him, it was quite clear that without peace, the state cannot move forward as a people neither can it achieve the lofty objectives envisioned by the government at making life more abundant for the people of the state.
"He said the last 12 months were filled with negative stories coming out from our state with issues like food poisoning, banning of media from covering one event or the other, attempt to kidnap, impeachment of the speaker and other crisis which don't project our image as a peaceful state"
"The cleric therefore warned that "all of these should stop, because without peace the people would be stressed up and psychologically disturbed. He noted that heated polity would hinder the spiritual life of the nation. Peace is a pre-condition for progress and without it there can never be social and economic development.
He commended the governor for not allowing the political crisis in the state to distract his government from providing basic things as contained in his contract for a secured future for the people urging traditional leaders, clergymen and elders to talk to those causing crisis to put an end to it.
In his own comment President Pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) pastor Ayo Oritsejafor said though Nigeria is 48, he sees the country to be only 9 years old as this period is the only time the nation has enjoyed uninterrupted democracy adding that thirty nine years was characterized by military rule.
"Nigeria today is only trying to do what should have been done long time ago", he said stressing a "baby must crawl before walking and a child who failed to crawl before walking will fall down and crawl".
Pastor Oritsejafor called on Nigerians to see this Independence Day as a period of sober reflection even as he challenged political leaders to ask themselves whether they were serving the people or themselves.
He stressed "If you expect too much from a nine years old child you may be disappointed. The side that is very disappointing is that Nigeria at 48 has not achieved much. But having experienced democracy for the last 9 years, I think we have started. The nation had unfortunately not got the opportunity to mature".
"The military who for the slightest excuse overthrows governments are to be blame for putting the country where it is today they never gave us opportunity to mature they jump in every time to make things worst for the country".
On the Niger Delta ministry, pastor Oritsejafor said it was a welcome development but urged the federal government to put the right people at the helm of affairs.
Oritsejafor advised the federal government against tampering with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) saying that it is an interventionist agency that must be adequately funded to carry out its responsibility.
Hear him, "the new Niger delta ministry is a welcome development and a timely idea. The ministry can only achieve its purpose if the right people are put there to manage it. Such people must be experience technocrats with high level of integrity, people that cannot be bought over, people with mature minds who must have unhindered access to the presidency".
In its own message, Afenifere in a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Yinka Odumakin said. "It is a sad commentary that 48 years after Independence Nigeria remains a study in contradictions of immense proportions. While we are the 6th largest producers of oil in the whole world, we rank among the 20 poorest nations. As we mark our Independence Anniversary, we are the only member of OPEC that imports petroleum for its domestic consumption.
"It is equally mind-boggling that at 48 we are bogged down by corruption to the extent that crooks have become our celebrities and the most popular political faces in our country. It is now difficult for upright people to get into elected offices in Nigeria. The corollary effect of this is that all the money that should have been used to develop the society is being funneled into graft while the economy lies prostate.
"The dislocation in the economy because of corruption has affected nearly every sector negatively. Our education sector has remained in comatose to the point that 83% of those who sat for WAEC this year failed woefully. And only a few days back, the Acting Registrar of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria said that newly graduated medical doctors in our country couldn't gauge blood pressure of patients.
"We should not be talking of infrastructures. We are now used to darkness as $16b spent in eight years of Obasanjo to generate light has only increased darkness. Even the panel that probed the scandal is itself now being probed by another panel over allegation of bribe taking. Yet the Yar'Adua government is only concentrating on re-bundling the power sector to turn it to another patronage parastatal.
"There are only a few areas of the country today where people can travel on good roads in spite of the several billions of Naira that were sunk to that area in the last nine years. A trip from Lagos to Ibadan these days is an inspection of mangled bodies through needless accidents.
"If the roads are not safe, the airspace has also become a big gamble to fly in. The several billions earmarked for air transportation has not produced safety in the air. A whole plane disappeared from our airspace six months ago and we are not sure yet whether what was found recently was its scraps. In any case at 48, we don't have a National carrier as the Nigeria Airways has liquidated long ago.
Politically, we are in a sorry state. At 48, we have not developed the capacity to hold free and fair elections. Most of those parading themselves as leaders in our country are products of electoral manipulations. This is why our Representatives have no problem collecting N3m each to celebrate Sallah while over 70% of the population live on less than $1 a day. It also explains why our presidency would be invoking Oath of Secrecy on its appointees so that we don't know much on how our lives are being misgoverned".
Toeing fimilar line, PRONACO said that nothing short of a national constituent assembly of the Nigerian stakeholders can guaranttee political stability in Nigeria; arguing that the current tension in the Niger delta may spill if the Nigerian political class ignore the strident call of stakeholders for a peoples' constitution.
Reviewing the state of Nigeria at 48 in Lagos on monday, PRONACO Spokesman, Mr Wale Okunniyi, urged the Nigerian government to use its proposed constitution review as a conflict management mechanism for generating national consensus and stability among and within the regions of the country.
He charged the national assembly to first and foremost amend section 9 of the 1999 constitution to allow for an inclusive and popular process, if its proposed constitution reform is to be meaningful and participatory.
According to Okunniyi, the relevant provisions for amendment in section 9 of the 1999 constitution are restrictive and inhibitive to a popular constitutional review process and could make nonsense of the N1billion earmarked for the review.
"Without prejudice to the proposed review by the national assembly, we have already mapped out a series of consultations that will culminate into a national political summit that will firm up stakeholders' positions on the state of the nation".
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