Kabiru Danladi
5 October 2008
opinion
Fifty years ago (or rightly 48 years), our country men and women waved the green-white-green flag of self-determination, filled with pride and confidence, with a lot of hope and aspirations, in their minds.
Six years later, less than a decade into the independence, a group of disgruntled, unpatriotic and greedy soldiers staged a coup and overthrew the nationalists government of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, killing the Prime Minister and many other top government officials, including the Premier of Northern and Western regions, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Chief Samuel Akintola.
That singular incident in 1966 drew the hands of clock backward and opened the door for military adventurists, who ushered in dictatorship in place of credible leadership. No doubt, the years of military rule, if not for the few months of General Murtala Ramat Muhammad, of blessed memory, and that of his friend General Muhammadu Buhari, the others could be termed as wasted years of the Nigeria's history.
Generations of Nigerians born, for instance, after Nigeria's civil war have never for once experienced good governance in their lives, as a result, many are regretting why the British colonialists made the mistake of handing over power to Nigerians. They came to the conclusion that our independence years were wasted years, at best should be considered to the dustbin of history.
The nationalists who struggled to chase the British imperialists and founded independent Nigeria were men of integrity. In their short stay in power, they were able to lay a solid foundation, designed plans and executed projects that were to drive this nation to the league of industrialised countries of the world. Unfortunately, these founding fathers' lives were cut short as I said earlier by a group of selfish soldiers hungry for power. The exit of these patriotic leaders early in the march left the stage according to Onyekakeyah, "military card players who toyed with the nation's destiny."
After the civil war that followed the 1966 bloody coup, General Yakubu Gowon, who took over was faced with arduous task of re-uniting and reconciling a hitherto divided nation. It was during this time that the oil boom came. Huge amount of money flowed into the country's economy. The oil boom provided a rare opportunity for the country to be part of world leading industrial nations. Sadly, this opportunity was squandered. The money accrued to the nation's treasury was misappropriated; the government's main concern at that time was how to perpetuate itself in power. Until when it was toppled by Murtala, who came with well designed plans to tackle the country's problems. Unfortunately, some disgruntled soldiers under the pretext of patriotism assassinated him on January 13, 1976.
Subsequently General Olusegun Obasanjo took over as Commander-in-Chief. Out of what one described as "fear and infancy in governance," he quickly handed over power to a civilian government under Alhaji Shehu Shagari. Shagari's government lasted for only five years; it was ousted by the military on alleged corruption and attempt to perpetuate itself in power by at all cost.
The military exchanged power among themselves for 15 years until 1999, when Obasanjo was elected? as president. Of all the presidents that ruled Nigeria since independence, Obasanjo was the luckiest. Out of its 48 years of independence, Obasanjo steered the country for 12 years. He held the reins of power longer than any Nigerian. Even with that he wanted to succeed himself, in 2007, if not for strong opposition from well meaning Nigerians - civil groups, trade unions and the media. He stage-managed an election regarded by election observers as the worst in the nation's history. It saw the emergence of Mallam Umaru Musa 'Yar'Adua as the new president of Nigeria.
Discussing Nigeria's history and its independence is very sad not because we are not part of the major players, but the way this country was run in the last 40 years was pathetic. Our 48 years of existence has produced little or nothing to impact on our lives as "independent Nigerians." The Nation is still grappling with issues of poverty, hunger and underdevelopment; we are yet to fight the killer diseases: polio, malaria, cholera, infant mortality and other curable diseases. Our country is still suffering from serious leadership crisis at all levels. Corruption remains a major obstacle in our quest for national development.
The return to democracy in 1999 gave us hope but that hope was soon dashed, no thanks to Obasanjo's maladministration. Nigeria celebrated again last Wednesday (October 1), but with little to make its citizens proud. Today, the Niger-Delta region remains a curse to us. Hopeless youths, who were used by politicians during campaigns, have turned into monsters; killing not only political opponents but everybody unlucky one who comes their way.
I always believe that the country will not continue the way it is now. I am still pessimistic on whether 'Yar'adua will salvage this nation; we are yet to take the way to development. Nigerians are suffering and nobody is even talking about ways to alleviate our immediate problems, not to talk of the ones to come next year or in 10 years later. We are working towards becoming one of the 20 industrial nations in 2020, but majority of our children are out of school, even those who managed to go to school are not gainfully employed. As long as we continue to pay lip service to major issues and concentrate on white elephant projects, the dream of attaining the status of industrialised country by 2020 remains wishful thinking.
Instead of celebrating October 1, Nigerians should have shed tears because countries that attained independence the same time with Nigeria are not complaining of power, malaria or poverty. October 1, is a time for sober reflection not fanfare, but endless hope is better than hopeless end.
Our independence, therefore, is a mission yet to be accomplished; and only when our leaders channel our resources towards national development, we cannot talk about the importance of Independence Day. But for now, the day is less important to majority of Nigerians who find it very difficult to survive.
Danladi is of Lawanti Village, 25, Along Gombe-Bauchi Road, Akko LGA, Gombe State
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