Nigeria At 60: What We Felt Today

“I think we put the cart before the horse…whenever you put the cart before the horse, there is motion but it is backward. We need national redemption and until that takes place, we are wasting our time.” – Tunde Bakare, NigeriaAt60.

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True or False?

The above statement sums up the general response of Nigerians to the country’s diamond jubilee celebrations. We cannot blame them, we must not. Years of disenfranchisement, disregard for the rule of law, and economic oppression will do that to any citizen of any country.

Today, October 1st, 2020 dawned with a form of disinterest and nonchalance that our nation has perhaps never seen before. There was a parade at the Eagles Square in Abuja and our dear president waved and smiled and observed all the niceties. In his Independence Day speech, however, PMB shocked us. Nobody was expecting that. He declared that it was impossible to sustain the price of petrol in the country. PMB said that it is not possible for the fuel price in Nigeria to be cheaper than it is in other oil-producing countries like Chad, Ghana, and Niger. He said,

“in addition to public health challenges of working to contain the spread of the coronavirus, we have suffered an enormous drop in our foreign exchange earnings and internal revenues because of the 40% drop in oil prices and the steep drop in economic activities.”

President Muhammadu Buhari, in his 20-minute speech, highlighted themes such as togetherness, healing, the economy, the electoral process, and security. All of these themes would have inspired a deep sense of patriotism in Nigerians, if they were indeed upheld. Instead, our reality is the sad excuses that we are saddled with in the name of nationhood.

At 60,

Nigeria’s greatest challenge remains its diversity. Northerners do not like Southerners, and the Easterners feel cheated out of the national cake. Fears of a divided Nigeria are becoming stronger by the day, and most feel that is the solution to our problems. Is it? The vice president, Prof Yemi Osinbanjo, in a church service today in Abuja to commemorate Nigeria at 60, made a remark that somehow vindicates former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. Garba Shehu recently attacked OBJ for making a similar remark. Shehu is PMB’s spokesperson.

Osinbanjo said “Nigeria is fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state; economically our country is becoming a basket case and poverty capital of the world, and socially, we are firming up as an unwholesome and insecure country.” He also stated that the country has failed to manage its diversity and “though our walls are not yet broken, there are obvious cracks that could lead to a break if not properly addressed.”

Many of Nigeria’s past leaders and statesmen had one thing or the other to say today, but most of it went unheard. The vice president insists that Nigerians need to pray more, but most Nigerians have rejected that idea. Most Nigerians are of the opinion that religion has nothing to do with Nigeria’s problems, but rather her problems are caused by the continuous cycle of greedy old men who preside over corrupt administrations. This is true, is it not?