Nigeria at 52nd: The pains and gains of a nation

On Monday, 1^st of October 2012, Nigeria celebrate the 52nd year she gain independence from Britain and become an independent nation, though the celebration was done on a low key, but with the president call that he still remain resolute about his transformation agenda does not move Nigerians because they believed that with the huge amount of natural resources available in the country, the ruling elite has not harnessed it to the benefit  of the citizens, thus the independence does not worth celebrating.

here are the opinions of Nigerians about the celebration:

There are things to celebrate

Dr. Osahon Enabulele, President, Nigerian Medical Association

“In spite of the challenges affecting Nigeria’s health sector coupled with the unacceptably poor health indices, it is important to note that there have been some achievements recorded over the years in the sector.

“For instance, whereas most other public/government parastatals and banks have either collapsed or are at the verge of collapsing, the managements of most public and private hospitals in Nigeria have survived the travails and systemic decay of the Nigerian society. This is an achievement in itself. Of course, one cannot forget the tremendous milestones recorded in Nigeria’s health sector in the 80s and early 90s with general improvements in Primary Health Care, as well as noticeable improvements in institutional and human resource development.” 

 This is time to mourn

Olumide Olusoga, 30, a graduate of Sociology, Tai-Solarin University of Education

“This is the time for us to mourn the failures of our leaders. We have not seen any development or improvement in the country. Most people are running away from the country because there is no hope for them.

“We can only celebrate social problems, Boko Haram, unemployment and prostitution. Nigeria would have been better without independence because I believe that the colonial masters would have performed better that the crop of leaders we have had in this country”, he said.

 Let’s reflect on our failures

Mr. Gomba Obey, lawyer

 “I do not think we have any reasons to celebrate the Independence Day.

“At Independence in 1960, the hope for a better Nigeria were pretty high. It was believed that we could handle our affairs better than any other person.

“The experiences we have had since independence show that our belief that we can run our affairs is wrong, our hopes that we will be a secure and prosperous nation is dashed, and our struggles for independence were pointless.

“What we should be doing now is to remind ourselves of our failure and engage our minds on how to succeed. It does not call for celebration because there is nothing to celebrate.”

 The industrial sector is dead

Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, National Chairman, Coalition to Save Nigeria

“We have nothing to celebrate after 52 years of flag independence. In 1960, we had powerful political leaders and statesmen with very robust pan-African credentials. Today, we see ourselves more from the veil and prism of ethnicity as Ibo, Hausa, Yoruba or Afenmai. The great heritage bequeathed to us by the sacrifices made by our founding fathers have been squandered and dissipated by successive Nigerian leaders.

“Although immensely blessed by God with amazing human and material resources, Nigeria is still grappling with challenges in virtually every sector. The agricultural sector is comatose, the industrial sector is dead.

 Nigeria is going backwards

Abbey Jefia, Medical doctor

I would not really say we should mourn during our independence anniversary, but the truth is that we don’t really have anything to celebrate if we consider the fact that for the past 52 years, we have not achieved anything. As I speak right now, there is no fuel in Port Harcourt and the roads are bad, bad government, power is horrible, education level has gone down and the level of unemployment is worrisome. Generally, I think we are actually going backwards. I think Nigeria has not been blessed with good leaders.

 The past and present leaders have really done nothing. I remember when I was in secondary school, we had no generator in school, we had no borehole because the taps were flowing and we hardly had blackouts. Today, we have actually gone backward. Look at Ghana; Ghana has left us and I doubt if we will ever get to the level Ghana is right now. Let’s forget about the western world and look at Africa. We are still the sleeping giant. So, I will say there is nothing to celebrate. But at the same time, I don’t think we should mourn because we are not dead yet. Personally, I think we need divine intervention for the country to change positively.

No tangible thing to celebrate

Elder Wole Oyelese, ex-minister and PDP leader in Oyo State

“As Nigeria marks her 52nd year of independence, there really is no tangible or reasonable cause for celebration. What we should be doing is to mark a day of thanksgiving rather than a celebration of our shame as a nation.

“Nigeria has a lot of things to thank God for but hardly anything to celebrate. That we are still one country though not a truly united people who trust one another is one miracle and a major reason to give glory to God.

“That the ominously dark cloud of the Boko Haram insurgency, the petroleum subsidy removal riots and others did not turn into ethnic conflict is also a cause to thank God. That despite the corrupt acquisition of the nation’s wealth by unrepentant public officers and political office holders, our economy has not totally collapsed is also a reason to be grateful to God. What really is there to celebrate? It will take a people without a sense of shame or remorse to roll out the drums to celebrate given the level of challenges currently facing the nation.”

 Nigeria is slave to corruption

Prof. Victor Adetimirin, Head, Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan

“Our nation is in a state of crisis. We took Independence from Britain in 1960 but we are really not independent. Our nation is in slavery to corruption, instability, poverty, bombings, senseless killings and bloodshed. In 2012, loss of human life is the highest for any year in peace time in the life of our nation.

“We do not manufacture simple item like bicycles. Tyres for vehicles are imported. Refined fuel is imported laden with corruption of unimaginable proportion.”

 We can get better

Mr. Ndubuisi Enechionyia, member, All Progressives Grand Alliance

“Of course, Nigeria should celebrate. There are many negatives but there are still things we should be thankful to God for. One is that there is still a giant country called Nigeria.

“Two is that this giant called Nigeria can be woken up anytime the right leadership emerges and we can move on like Brazil, China etc.

“Three is that we are in a democracy, which can only get better with continuous refinement. The 2011 elections were the first elections since 1999 where result sheets got to the polling booths, so there is hope for the future.

 Nigeria working for few elite

 Yinka Odumakin, spokesman for Save Nigeria Group

“There is nothing  to celebrate as we have become an embarrassing nation to the world  as all our opportunities have been bungled by corrupt and visionless leaders.

“Nigeria is not working for the vast majority of its citizens because of the greed of its few elite.

“We are a showpiece for failed nations  and only shameless leaders would be  proud of what the country has become.

 Let’s revisit celebration of affluence

Eseme Eyiboh, former spokesperson, House of Representatives

The 52nd Anniversary of our Independence only reminds us as a people of our failure to take advantage of our enormous material and human endowments to develop and grow.

 It is a prompter to all of us as a people for our failure to give verve to Justice which is central to growth and development.

“The Anniversary is a wake-up call to revisit our current celebration of affluence in place of enterprise, to reverse the prevalent trend of leadership being taken as a gift instead of a responsibility earned and which must be accounted for

“On the whole, as a people, we have lacked the good conscience to continue to pledge to our nation Nigeria to be faithful, loyal and honest amidst the plethora of pervasive and self-inflicted astronomical rise in unemployment and powerty, insecurity and injustice, corruption and waste in governance.

“As a people, we have collectively lost the moral authority to continue to say “So help me (us) God!”

Nigeria should mourn, celebrate

Mr. Samad Sanusi, civil servant

“I believe Nigeria should both mourn and celebrate this Independence in the sense that the country is not what it should be after over 50 years of independence. We are not where we should be in terms of development. Our contemporaries like Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asian and even African countries have left us far behind. Ghana which some years back had almost collapsed is now back on its feet. It has celebrated for years now uninterrupted power supply.

“Can Nigeria boast of even one day of uninterrupted electricity? The other countries like Brazil have gone far technologically. They have produced their own cars but Nigeria cannot boast of producing her own bicycle. So really we have nothing to celebrate except that we are still alive to witness this independence celebration.”

 Nothing to cheer about

Akintayo Iwilade, lawyer

“The October 1 date hardly inspires the people since what ought to be the gains of independence have eluded the country for too long.

With deficits in progressive political systems and structures, an  unproductive economic system, a mindlessly exploitative wealth distribution system, an embarrassing lack of science and technology, among others there is nothing to cheer about. 

“The peoples’ apathy towards the hollow rituals of October 1 can be considered perfectly rational. However, we need not mourn since those failures are not expected to define the country’s future. But talking of celebration, there is not much to cheer about.”

 Our values have been eroded

 Gbenga Fatodu, Lagos civil servant

“I don’t think there’s anything to celebrate about our independence, because it’s been 52 years of fruitless governance, corruption, insurgency, stiff hardship and poverty…So sad to see how things are getting worse and our economic system in comatose! Series of human carnage and civil unrest as characterised by insecurity are some of the horrors terrorising our land and turning an average citizen to a stranger in the land.

“Our values have been eroded. There are no basic facilities for education, health care, lives and property with total neglect for infrastructure. Our road networks have become death traps

“The nation is replete with tendencies more divisive than they were during pre-civil war era.