By Bashir Ibrahim
1st October, 1960 marks the day in which Nigeria got its independence from British colonial masters. On 1stOctober 2020, Nigeria clocks 60 years as an independent and sovereign state, a golden jubilee that serves as a milestone in the life of Nigeria. The trending news around the globe should be something like : “Happy Independence Day to the Giant of Africa’’ The troubling questions are :Is Nigeria’s independence worth celebrating? Are we really independent or recolonised by our own people who transfer power from one sucker to another, those with tainted minds to suck from public wealth? Is our independence worth celebrating when our own blood is being sucked literally by an artificially created poverty and physically by monstrous insurgents who tasted blood and flesh due to inability of our government to provide solid security system to secure our lives and property?
Tafawa Balewa in his golden voice had this on 1st October, 1960 : “I shall not labour the point but it would be unrealistic not to draw attention first to the awe-inspiring task confronting us at the very start of our nationhood. When this day in October 1960 was chosen for our Independence it seemed that we were destined to move with quiet dignity to place on the world stage. Recent events have changed the scene beyond recognition, so that we find ourselves today being tested to the utmost We are called upon immediately to show that our claims to responsible government are well-founded, and having been accepted as an indepedent state. we must at once play an active part in maintaining the peace of the world and in preserving civilisation. I promise you, we shall not fail for want of determination. And we come to this task better-equipped than many. For this, I pay tribute to the manner in which successive British Governments have gradually transferred the burden of responsibility to our shoulder.’’
The above speech by patriot Balewa shows how the past heroes and nationalists determined to move the country forward after independence from colonial domination. Balewa and other nationlists like Zik, Awolowo worked hard to move Nigeria to a greater height. Their efforts shall never be forgotten. They wanted Nigeria to be truly free, and not be tied in any way to the apron-strings of the British imperium. These heroes deserve much tribute than any one in Nigeria.
From our elementary classes, we were taught that Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa ,Zik, Awolowo , Ahmad Bello, and host of others are those patriots who sacrificed their precious life to freeing this country from the clawing hands of British Colonialists. Verily, such patriotic efforts from these political saints and nationalists could never be forgotten or deleted from the blessed memory of Nigeria as an independent nation. Unfortunately, many of these patriots were killed and murdered while trying to fix the country.1966 Coup had a lot to tell! Right from then, the country started shivering like an old woman soaked in an ice pool.
Undoubtedly, even a toddler in Nigeria understands that those who inherited our past nationalists have failed their fathers and the nation in general. From the fall down of second republic to date, there has been series of misappropriations of public funds, mismanagement of power, economic recessions, political and ethnic bigotry, ethno-religious crisis, unemployment, insurgencies and a lot of social vices bedevilling the country.
With the return of democracy in 1999, people have built a hope that the country would recover from its long term malady caused by malicious diseases of military dictatorship. Unfortunately, the twenty year old democratic regime has faded our hope as the situation becomes worse than the latter times ; the country reigned back to square ONE where little or no hope is left in the feeble minds of many Nigerians.
It could be recalled that during first regime of Nigeria after independence, the country used to be a golden garden of prosperity and development, it was then that the nation was tagged ‘’Giant of Africa’’ because Africans then looked up to us. Then was a country that placed much premium and attention on education. Our schools were at good and promising shapes which helped most of our today’s leaders become what they are now. Primary and Secondary schools, even in the country-sides had libraries, laboratories and qualified teachers. I could remember my uncle once told me that during their school days in the 70s, they were taught by highly qualified teachers who were mostly from India, UK, Pakistan and Ghana, highly trained in the profession . Everything in schools then was free…… from school fees to even uniform.
Now, Nigeria seems to be retrogressing in virtually every index of development, things have drastically taken bad shapes. Nigerians are not happy with their lives as many have nothing left of them except frustrations and day dreams. If you look at the faces of many Nigerians, you will see anger, disappointment, poverty, fear and despair written boldly all over as a result of inability of Nigerians to benefit from the dividends of independence and the abundant resources of the country. This is a country where a majority of its citizens do not know where the next meal is coming, or a cup of tea in the morning or for a common pure water. Why is there more bribery and corruption today than in the days of Tafawa Balewa and ZIK ?
Today, things have taken junky U-turns in the country: our leaders who attended government schools at all levels at that time will not send their own children to the same schools. All their children are either in most expensive private schools or in some world class schools, colleges and universities abroad. You see them flying to UK and US for their children’s convocation ceremonies. To cite a an example is our ‘’Say’’ sainted PMB whose daughters all graduated from UK, and so with the rest of our senators, Reps. Members, ministers and the other politicians who have the public funds at their steering wheel.
Our hospitals have collapsed, no qualified medics, no standard laboratories for tests, not even subsidized treatment or a free anti-malaria drug or injection. A poor Nigerian who cannot afford an anti-malaria drug or injection can die of malaria because, no free drug or injection given in Nigerian hospitals. Imagine a country with 22 federal medical centres, 23 giant teaching hospitals, about 46,000 state owned hospitals and hundreds of thousands private hospitals, clinics and dispensaries, but Nigerians fly to UK, US, India,Dubai and Egypt for minor cases like headache or neck pain. Recall that two months earlier Mr. “Integrity’s” wife spent some weeks in Dubai for just a treatment of neck pain. This is the country where no serious member of a political class will patronise Nigerian hospitals for whatever lesser medical problem.
After 60 years of birth, one could ask why Nigeria is still crawling on a lame feet while her sister African countries like South Africa, Ghana who got independence almost the same time, have grown up and gone far thousand miles ahead in achieving greater development and political growth. It could be apocalyptic for reasonable and good parent to have a son or daughter who is sixty years old but, still crawling and stunted in growth. Therefore, it could be waste of resources and time to pump champagne and clink glasses to celebrate a 60-year old junk that is stuck in the mud of stunted growth.
What are we to celebrate when our own lives and properties are not secured as promised by the so called government? How can Nigerians celebrate this anniversary when hundreds of thousands are squatting in IDPs Camps, befriending mosquitoes, hunger, fear and frustrations ? How can we beat drums and sing our national anthem when our stomach is empty and our pockets penniless all caused by poverty created by our greedy politicians? How are we expected to pour champagne and clink glasses when the victims of Boko Haram insurgencies are thrown away like dogs and the insurgents are pampered and even sent overseas to study?
Is this anniversary worth celebrating when we can’t sleep with both eyes close for fear of being kidnapped, robbed or killed any moment? Is this country’s independence worth cheering up when our parents, brothers, sisters and loved ones are being maimed and kidnapped on hourly basis and being traded for ransom? Are we really in our sense when we swing a flag in celebration when our teeming youth and graduates have no job to do, only roaming about from one internet cafe to another, applying for jobs that are not meant for the children of poor and less privileged?
It will be foolish if we still can celebrate a country where a single minister can manufacture a figure of hundreds of millions of naira for feeding invisible primary school pupils during “lucrative Covid-19 Trade”. This is the country where those with corruptive mess on their ass can stage a drama to escape being investigated over mismanagement of public funds. In short, Nigerians are not to celebrate because we are disappointed and our leaders failed us woefully. To sum it up, I will use Achebe’s popular book title, there was a country !
Bashir Ibrahim, A freelance Journalist from Funtua, Katsina State. (bibrahim527@gmail.com) (08069136485)
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Sky Daily
