Lagos — Independent Nigeria is forty years old and many will be celebrating the nation's arrival at an age that traditionally marks the shift from young adulthood to maturity. But is it a Happy Birthday? AllAfrica put that question to six ordinary Nigerians.
To James Akpan, 60, a retired civil servant, standards have fallen. "In those days (the colonial era) workers worked hard because they would not want their superiors to query them," says Akpan, who started work in 1959 as a Clerical Assistant, in the Federal Ministry of Works, Lagos.
The hallmarks of civil service then, he says, were honesty, discipline and punctuality. "Discipline was very important. Before 8 am workers were already in the office and remained in their offices working," he notes.
But things have changed, says the man who retired in 1996 as a Principal Personnel Assistant, Federal Ministry of Establishment. "There is no more discipline. Now you go to an office and you see workers idle."
So where did the decline begin? "The first took place in 1966, six years after the country gained independence. Things started to change when the military took over. Unlike in the colonial era when the slogan in civil service was "No brother in government work", the military introduced nepotism. Now, a senior officer is reluctant to discipline a subordinate for fear of whom the junior officer knows.
Akpan says Nigerias greatest achievement since independence has been the construction of network of roads "and overhead bridges here in Lagos. The military government financed these with the revenue from the oil boom of the 1970s.
But the greatest failure, according to him, is the governments inability to sustain development in the country. "Factories are closing down, as a result of which there is unemployment," says Akpan.
The way forward, according to him, is for Nigerias leaders to "leave selfishness. They should do something for the new generation to enjoy." This means, he say, providing things such as shelter, good education and food for the people. "What else do we need if we get these things?"
