Emeka Nwosu
6 October 2008
opinion
Lagos — Last week Wednesday, our country, Nigeria, clocked 48 years as an independent state. Across the Federation, the occasion was marked with low key celebrations, devoid of funfair and pomp that usually characterized the event in the past.
At 48, Nigeria has come a long way. At that age, the country has attained adulthood and maturity. It can no longer be seen as a toddler. Given such a milestone, it is certainly pertinent to embark on a process of self-evaluation and re-appraisal to see how far and well we have done in our journey to nationhood since independence in 1960.
Given our trajectory as a nation that has severally passed through the crucibles with dire consequences for her corporate existence, a strong temptation exists to write off Nigeria as a failed experiment in nationhood. Although we have made some progress as a nation since 1960, the truth of the matter is that Nigeria is yet to realize its full potentials as a greatly endowed country.
Nigeria at independence held a bright promise with almost an assured future of greatness not only within the continent of Africa but globally. These prospects were clearly captured by the Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa in his maiden broadcast to the nation on October 1, 1960 after receiving the instruments of independence from the British colonial authorities.
In his golden voice he declared: This is a wonderful day, and it is all the more wonderful because we have awaited it with increasing impatience, compelled to watch one country after another overtaking us on the road when we had so nearly reached our goal. But now, we have acquired our rightful status and I feel sure that history will show that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace. It has been thorough, and Nigeria now stands well built upon firm foundationsî.
Almost five decades after, with all the overwhelming crises that had been the lot of our nation since independence, it is yet arguable whether Nigeria was indeed erected on firm foundations. Within this period, Nigeria has waded through several socio-political, ethno-religious and economic problems with a devastating civil war and several coups and counter coups to the bargain.
The civil war which came barely seven years after independence thoroughly shook the nation to its fragile foundations. Up till date, that war which pitched the former Eastern Region, in its secessionist bid, against the rest of the country remains the bloodiest and bitterest on the continent.
Although Nigeria survived the war, the scars are still every where for all to see. Part of the fall-outs of the civil war is the continuing crisis of national integration, in spite of the much mouthed programmes on Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation enunciated by the Federal authorities shortly after the war.
There is no doubt whatsoever that the civil war was a major set-back in our journey to nationhood. We, however, have every cause to thank God for his little mercies, that in spite of all odds Nigeria still remains one united and indivisible entity. It is not in all cases that countries that fought such bitter civil wars like ours still survived as single political entities. The examples of Ethiopia and Eritrea, Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan in Africa are there for every one to see. Eritrea which used to be part of Ethiopia has since gone its separate ways while in the instant cases of Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan, they are almost permanently divided.
At 48, Nigeria remains a paradox; a country so richly blessed by providence yet the vast majority of the people wallow in abject poverty, disease and ignorance. With our vast oil wealth, a great majority of our people including those in the Niger Delta region where the bulk of the wealth comes from are still running a long and hard race for survival. They are daily confronted with the degradation of their environment occasioned by the exploration activities of multi-national oil companies, particularly in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
All the succeeding governments in Nigeria have not been able to make any lasting impressions on the people. Poverty and unemployment have remained the lot of the people with devastating consequences and security implications. Cases of armed robbery, prostitution, banditry, cultism and corruption are on the ascendancy and their nexus with the ravaging poverty and unemployment in the land can hardly be located elsewhere.
Even former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his sanctimonious posturing acknowledged that Nigeria had since deviated from the visions of her founding fathers. Addressing the nation on the occasion of the country's 40th independence anniversary, he stated: ìAs at first of October 1979, when we handed over a robust nation and a new constitution to an elected civilian government to launch the Second Republic, some of you may recall from the farewell broadcast my vision of Nigeria being among the top ten greatest nations in the world by the end of the Twentieth Century. We were then ranked 48th in the league of prosperity. Now, Nigeria has sunk into the league of poverty, where we are ranked as the 13th poorest nation on earthî
But after eight years in office as civilian President, Obasanjo did little or nothing to pull the country from the cauldron. Instead, Nigeria has continued to sink deeper and deeper into the cesspit of corruption, poverty and normlessness. This is the country President Umar Musa Yar'Adua inherited over a year ago and has been making a modest effort to improve upon.
In his independence broadcast last week, the President tried to give hope to Nigerians by assuring them on the good health of the economy and efforts he is making to turn things around for the better and particularly for the troubled Niger Delta region. There is no doubt that the President has the best of intentions for the country, but he must go beyond mere intentions and translate such to concrete programmes that have the potentials of transforming the fortunes of the people.
In the last one year and five months he has been in office, beyond the rhetoric of due process and rule of law, Nigerians are yet to feel the impact of this administration in almost every sphere of human endeavor. At 48, it is regrettable to note that Nigeria is yet to realize its manifest destiny. It has been a sad case of crisis of rising expectations and declining opportunities.
At 48, history and destiny beckons on Yar'Adua to seize the initiative and launch this country on the path of prosperity and total development. Nigeria, under Yar'Adua must break away from the vicious cycle of poverty and corruption and aspire to realize the visions of the nationís founding fathers which were anchored on prosperity and well-being of the people.
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