Nigeria at 60

Nigeria becomes 60 today since it got its ‘independence’ from Britain. The question is: Is there anything to celebrate in a giant that has remained on the ground? Some may say yes and thus roll out the drums. After all, the low key celebrations by the Federal Government of Nigeria led to the drums and match past at the Eagle Square in Abuja today. If it were not low keyed, we would be flying high in the sky.

Those that feel otherwise said Nigeria today attained retirement age and should thus retire and become ashes so a new nation or nations could emerge that would be active, vibrant and successful without the albatross called Nigeria today and the over-centralised federal system that holds diverse nations in its forceful grip.

The question I will like our citizens of Nigeria to provide answers to is: what do they want? A nation created for them by the British or one that they created on their own. Indeed, an answer to this question is at the heart of all the struggles for secession by parts of the country almost from the inception of Nigeria’s statehood.

How long can we continue to pretend we don’t know what are the true issues? Is it not possible to actually sit down, talk like civilised people and decide where and how we want to go in this country? Can we continue to hide our heads in the sound like the ostrich and claim all is well? It is time we tell our selves the truth and face our realities.

Our solution may not be what others have done; we may have to cook it and serve it all by our selves – we have to become true philosophers and think through our situation and find our own answers. We may have to become our own prayer warriors and pursue on our knees the needed answers from God. We may have to become true artists and paint and craft our own future. We may have to become our own scientists and become the specimen to experiment our truth with. We may have to become our own technologists and construct our future as we want it to be. The yam and knife is in our hands – what do we intend to do with the two?

Comment and let us have your views.

It may be just the answer Nigeria needs to move forward.

I take no sides but I crave practical answers to our national questions.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, my country wo(men) and fellow citizens.

Indeed, TOGETHER, we can find the answers – whatever those may be.

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