Still Unhappy Citizenry After 54 Years Of Nationhood

By Odunayo Joseph

On the 1st October of every year, it has become a norm for our country to celebrate her independence from her colonial master, Britain.  This year’s edition which is the 54th is being celebrated on a low key as it was last year. Under normal circumstances, the celebration of any nation’s independence should come with fanfare but for two years running if not more, it has become characteristic for our independence anniversary to be celebrated in a grave yard like manner and this development no doubt calls for sober reflection by all Nigerians both at home and abroad.

In the Nigerian family set up, it is only when an unfortunate incident suddenly happens that an event which should under normal circumstances be celebrated with fanfare is usually celebrated on a low key.

There is need for us all, as citizens of Nigeria, to ask ourselves why our independence should be celebrated on a low key in spite of our being labelled as the sixth largest exporter of crude oil in the world and labelling of ourselves as the giant of Africa with the biggest economy in the African continent. The answer may not be far-fetched. The bitter truth is that, apart from the myriad of social and political problems staring our country in the face, such as corruption and greed, insecurity to life and property as was the case recently when thugs invaded a High Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State which resulted in the alleged slapping of a judge and consequent locking up of all the law courts and imposition of partial curfew in the state.

There is also soaring unemployment; the lack of electricity supply and potable water for the citizenry in spite of Nigeria’s existence as a nation for 54 years with abundant human and natural resources at her disposal; the age-long widening gap between the rich and the poor on one hand, and between the leaders at all levels of governance in our country today and the led on the other hand; jettisoning of service to the people for personal aggrandizement by politicians and  public office holders in our country. It would be recalled that the immediate past boss and the incumbent one for the Economic, Financial and Crimes Commission (EFCC), Chief (Mrs.) Farida Waziri and her successor Mr. Ibrahim Larmode decried the crazy manner of accumulation of wealth by Nigerian leaders; and the recent bemoaning of the wide gap between the huge monthly allocations to state governments and the infrastructure on the ground in the states respectively); unguarded utterances by political sycophants which can threaten the corporate existence, peace and stability of Nigeria as a nation.

There is pervasive show of religiosity with ungodly disposition side by side both by leaders; power recycling in the polity; the bleak future of our youths as exemplified by the fast disappearance of reading culture and paying of much of their attention to football viewing centres in all nook and crannies of the country rather than their books coupled with the craze for entertainment and music hearing all day which is also fast becoming a dangerous norm among them.

The get-rich-quick mentality has sadly made the majority of our youths to run away from skilled work, just to mention a few: the poor standard living of the people in general in the absence of dividends of democracy and hunger in the midst of plenty is no doubt not helping matters.

In a recent programme on the Channels Television this September, Prof. Pat Utomi expressed fear, while appraising the present political and economic state of affairs in our country, that our nation is sinking to the bottom of the pit each passing day and wondered what would happen by the time we continue to sink further until we reach the bottom end of the pit and have nowhere to further sink to.  This is no doubt a serious observation which calls for a sober reflection as we celebrate 54 years of nationhood.

It is hoped that under a tension-free and fair election in 2015, true and God-fearing representatives of the people will emerge and this is one of the ways by which we can go back to the good old days when both the young and the old including even the handicapped lined up on roads to cheer up their leaders with fanfare and ecstasy as opposed to what obtains today in our present day Nigeria, where we not only celebrate the anniversary in a situation that can aptly be likened to that of the grave yard but the people are finding it difficult to make out any difference between the day set aside for the celebration and the ordinary normal day in the life of the people.

•Odunayo wrote from Kogi State.