Reawakening The Nigerian Dream Through China’s Historical Experience

The dream to transform Nigeria into a productive, peaceful, progressive and united society may have received a boost following the visit of a group of senior Nigerian journalists and some government officials on an exchange programme to China organised by China International Communications Group (CICG) in May 2026.

China has been a success story in industrial development, infrastructure, manufacturing, political solidarity brimming with a sense of history and cultural strength underpinned by discipline, ethical and visionary leadership under the irrepressible Communist Party of China (CPC).

One of the most enduring experiences of the Nigerians in China was the visit to the CPC museum in Beijing, an institution that reflects the documented history and evolution of the China, which rose from the ashes of brokenness, defeat and humiliation to the status of greatness through resilience, collective aspiration, great sacrifices and strength of character.

China has a profound lesson to the world that the preservation of national memory in museums and monuments does not just raise revenue from tourism, but serves as the repository of critical thinking and unity of purpose which gives roadmap for national rebirth.

Visiting China for the first time, Nigerian journalist, Moyo Thomas, was amazed by the milestones in China through historical preservation. She said “The museum tells the story of CPC and eventually the story of China, how they have evolved, how they got to where they are now, the struggle, the dedication, the resolve, the sacrifice. For me it is a foundation of the greatness of China that we are seeing, it is the deep truth of how China became what it is.”

Thomas also expressed deep sense of purpose in China, saying “one of the things that I noticed in the visit is the fact that we met school children, we met older people and younger people, it means that every day they come to relate to this story, they tell their story to generations to come. They keep telling them the history of how they got here, so that it becomes a culture. It is one of the things I feel we need to reawaken in Nigerian.”

Speaking further on the lesson for Nigeria, she said “some of us don’t even know the deep story of the Nigerian civil war because it is not being told, some of us don’t even know the story of 1960s because it is no longer told a and we cannot relate to it . So, there is the need to have the Nigerian story told to the next generation to come.

“How do we achieve unity when people don’t even know the sacrifices that generation of fifteen years ago has made not to talk of generations of years earlier? We need to tell our story to generation after generation. This is one thing that I realised that China does and they do so well to tell their story.”

Dr Bridget Onochie, a journalist, lecturer and researcher, said “museums anywhere in the world are a depository of history and any country without history can hardly make progress because if you do not know where you are coming from, it will be very difficult to know where you are going. The impression here is always about a society that is committed, a society that is intentional and determined to move forward to prosper and to make progress.”

She lauded the Chinese for having meticulously documented their history, which recorded their days of pains, the days of struggle, most especially those that sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the people to ensure that the country is free from oppressors.

She added that this will build confidence in the younger generations, that they have leaders, who paid the supreme prize to ensure that they have freedom and prosperity they enjoy today.

“It is also going to tell them how terrible war is so that they can forge ahead in unity and peaceful coexistence because there is no progress in the atmosphere of chaos and violence. These people have done so well and through history the younger generation will see the sacrifices of the older generation and be willing to sustain them by contributing their own quarter towards the development of their country.

“Nigeria should borrow a leave from this. We have a history that if documented will help the younger generation. We fought the civil war, there were heroes of the war, there were reasons the war broke out. Although they declared “no victor, no vanquished,” it is still hurting the people.

“The younger generation is not even aware of the past heroes because they are not aware of history. So, this is a good place to be for Nigerians particularly our government if they are willing to learn,” she added.

For Grace Omoighie, a staffer with the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the lessons are enormous. She described the Chinese, historical, cultural and industrial development as a “mind-blowing experience”.

She said “it opened my eyes to the sacrifices they made. It has a lot of historical value and the “Long Match” was particularly emotional as it reflects the deep pain the people endured to bring positive change to their country for peace and progress. Nigeria must learn how to keep historical monuments and make them great tourist attraction.”