Nigeria at 60: Which Way Nigeria, My Country
Which Way Nigeria.
Nigeria as a country has been plagued by numerous problems. We are conglomerate of different tribes, divided and full of hate. How did we get here? It is already part of history that our problems started when Lord Lugard forcefully merged us in 1914; since then, it has been from one problem to another.
On October 1, 1960, the British government granted independence and left us in the hands of selfish leaders. The truth about Nigeria is, we are not one: A country where you are either superior or inferior based on your ethnic background, is nothing but deception.
Politicians steal our money in droves each dispensation, promising a better life; alas we keep getting worse. In 2015, Nigerians in their multitude voted for the present administration at the center with the hope of a promising change.
Five years later, we are in chains, yet to see the change. A country where the President doesn’t care about the dying populace, a regime that hunts down opposition at will, a draconian government that has further divided us along ethnic and religious lines. I weep for Nigeria, the labours of our heroes past are now in vain!
We have become refugees in our own country. From PDP to APC: the problems remain the same. We only see projects on the pages of newspapers, we never get to see them in reality.
Which way Nigeria? Truth is now a scarce commodity, only praise singers are seen as good democrats, from North to South and from East to West people are perpetually kept in darkness.
We now celebrate darkness and pay for darkness instead of celebrating progress, our politicians are celebrating political defections instead of celebrating technological advancement. Our politicians are celebrating ‘crooked’ electorial victory keeping the people perpetually poor so that they can buy their conscience for peanut. Which way Nigeria? Our roads are now death traps, yet each administration keeps blaming the previous ones. Our farmlands are now blood lands where a group of wicked herders truncate the lives of poor Nigerians, yet our President doesn’t care.
Politics is now a business and a way of survival for a rich few who steal our resources and take them to foreign lands. They benefited from free education but make education too expensive for the poor.
Which way Nigeria? Are we on course?
I have given up on Nigeria, our youths are leaving the country in droves for foreign countries in search of a better life. No wonder Nigerians are treated as slaves and contrabands in other countries, we are no longer the pride of Africa, rather we’ve become a pain in the ads of Africa. I won’t wish anyone a happy Independence day, rather I will wish you a happy new month. You might see me as a prophet of doom and a pessimist, but I will ask you a question, are we on course or are we cursed?
- Power politics and timelines in Nigeria, as outlined by the BBC, indicate that on:
1 October 1960: Nigeria gains independence, followed by two coups in 1966.
- 1967: Three eastern states secede, sparking three-year Biafra civil war.
- 1979: Elections bring to power Shehu Shagari, who was ousted after four years – and a series of coups and military governments followed.
- 1993: The military annuls elections when preliminary results show victory for Moshood Abiola.
- 1999: Democracy returns a year after the death of military ruler Gen Sani Abacha.
- 2015: Muhammadu Buhari becomes first opposition figure to win a presidential election since 1960.
- President Muhammadu Buhari has been frequently vilified even by opponents of “federal character”, for appearing to abandon this policy.“I don’t have a problem with any part of Nigeria but I have a problem with the way government is directing its appointments,” said Mr Ekweremadu during a fiery session in parliament in 2018.At present, 17 out of Nigeria’s 20 service chiefs appointed by Mr Buhari are from his northern region, while 16 are Muslim like him.And 15 out of 21 serving assistant inspectors general of police are from the north, while 16 are Muslim.In defence of his boss, presidential spokesperson GarbaShehu told me: “Are you going to give your command positions in the military to people you don’t trust?”
