Abuja — "Take a flag," Rosemary Obelu asks of each person entering Eagle Square, the Abuja site of presidential inaugurations and special events in Nigeria. Her fingers are overstuffed with green and white flags fixed on plastic stands, and extras hang from her wrist in a plastic bag.
"We are positivizing Nigeria," she said. "We are asking people to be patriotic and celebrate the new administration."
Obelu is a university student — one of many recruited by Image Nigeria, a Federal Government publicity project - to celebrate the country's Independence Day on October 1. "Almost all of us are students, called by friends to join the project," said Pauline C. Onuoha, another student working for Image Nigeria.
Inside the gates of the auditorium - an outdoor square with seating around three of its four sides - school children march in celebration. The music and loudspeaker can be heard across town. Women and men alike trade their goods and foods outside, hoping to catch passersby as they come and go.
In the 47 years since Nigeria became an independent nation, the country has seen civilian rule, military rule, and a transition back to civilian rule. For students like Obelu and Onuoha, there is much to celebrate.
Just two weeks ago, President Umaru Yar'Adua completed his first 100 days in office. The new president has tried to distinguish himself from past leaders, calling himself a "servant-leader" set on ensuring the rule of law and improving life for the population.
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"We are entering our 48th year as a free and sovereign nation against the backdrop of a renewed hope and optimism about our nation and our future. In the short four months we have been in office, we have taken initiatives to build a steady future for ourselves and our posterity," Yar'Adua declared Monday morning in his Independence Day address.
But the challenges in Nigeria, which has been independent for almost half a century, are great. In his address, Yar'Adua mentioned electricity shortages, trouble in the Niger Delta, corruption, and poverty as major challenges facing his administration, and his address met a variety of reactions.
"You see that not everybody comes here to Eagle Square," said Sylvester Idoko, a taxi driver in Abuja. "Some people are not happy, that's why there are not many people here."
Those concerns are echoed by some Nigerians on the street regardless of whether they celebrated the holiday. In the village of Piwoyi, a few miles outside of Abuja's center, the mood is somber. The public holiday means trading booths are quiet. When the president talks of unemployment, the subsistence traders live it — even though many are quite educated. When the president speaks of energy shortages, the village feels it. Piwoyi receives just a few hours of electricity every day.
For many, the "renewed hope and optimism" Yar'Adua spoke of is evident in their ability to keep waiting.
