As Nigeria prepares to mark its 65th Independence Day anniversary, apex regional bodies, politicians, and senior legal practitioners have expressed divergent views on the country’s prospects.
While they all agreed that the country is far from where it ought to be development-wise, they are divided on whether the current trajectory will lead it to a better destination.
Others argued that Nigeria stopped developing after the First and Second Republics, blaming the military’s incursion into governance and poor civilian leadership for the country’s regression.
On Wednesday, 1 October, Nigeria will celebrate its Independence from British rule in 1960. Like others in recent decades, this year’s celebration comes amid escalating insecurity and socio-economic strain on the citizenry.
Nigeria Will Be Great Notwithstanding Challenges — Afenifere
The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, expressed optimism that the country will be great.
Afenifere’s optimism was conveyed by its national publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, on Saturday when contacted by LEADERSHIP Sunday in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The apex Yoruba socio-political organisation said it was hinging its optimism “on the grace of God, the resources with which the country is endowed, the determination that the federal government under President Bola Tinubu is deploying towards concretising Nigeria’s developmental strides, the resilience of the people, and the sum total of the experiences we have had — and are still having.”
Afenifere quickly added that Nigerians’ experiences had not always been pleasant due to numerous instances of disappointment by those who had governed the country.
“Streaks of these disappointments have created mistrust between the leaders and the led and caused some people to act in ways they ordinarily would not.
“But it is important to harness the lessons inherent in these experiences to make them serve us positively,” he said.
Ajayi stated further that these experiences have also made the people more resilient.
According to him, various events have occurred in Nigeria that could have torn the country apart were it not for the grace of God and the sacrifices made by committed patriots.
“The fact that these factors still exist, in addition to the enormous resources that the country has, is a reason to state that Nigeria will be great, notwithstanding the challenges it is facing.”
He noted that average Nigerians have always desired and strived for a better country.
“Unfortunately, many of those who have occupied important public offices have dashed the hopes of Nigerians. It is appropriate for the government to ask everybody to work toward making Nigeria great by coining ‘All Hands on Deck for a Greater Nation’ as the theme for this year’s independence celebration.”
“We, however, feel that those in public office, politicians especially, should show more patriotism in their conduct, as many average Nigerians already have their hands on the plough.”
The Afenifere spokesman expressed hope that the positive impacts of the various policy steps taken by President Bola Tinubu’s government will begin to manifest towards the end of this year.
It held that the economy is expected to improve further in the new year, judging by signs already manifesting and in line with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Moreover, significant improvements are expected in security, especially with the launch of state police, an area in which the government is showing considerable seriousness.
As the country approaches its 66th year of independence, state governments should allow local governments more autonomy “so that the people at the grassroots can feel the impacts of government more effectively.”
Ajayi, however, called on the government to implement the restructuring of the country in the new year.
Blame Military, 1999 Constitution for Our Woes — PANDEF
On its part, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has blamed the military and the 1999 Constitution for the underdevelopment of the country in the past 65 years.
PANDEF national publicity secretary, Dr Obiuwevbi Ominimini, disclosed this in a chat with LEADERSHIP Sunday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Ominimini said: “We should blame the military government that instituted the federal structure. It was the Aguiyi Ironsi regime that destroyed what our leaders fought for. At independence, we fought for true federalism; ability to control your own resources and pay tax to the centre.
“It was that which gave speedy development to some of the regions. For example, the Eastern region was able to build a university from palm produce, the Northern region was able to build Ahmadu Bello University from the groundnut pyramid, Awolowo in the Western region was able to build a university and established the first radio/television stations. He did so many things in Ibadan and the Western region.
“So, Aguiyi Ironsi came and promulgated the federal structure and concentrated all the powers at the centre. While some people are not able to touch their natural resources, such as oil and gas, in the South South geopolitical zone and the South East and some parts of the South West, some are taking 100 per cent of their natural resources. For example, the gold you have in the Northern region — Zamfara, Niger, FCT, Nasarawa and other parts of the North — is collected by families and big men.
“So, you have multi-billionaires in parts of Northern Nigeria while you have poor people from the Niger Delta. Today, Nigeria is governed with double standards. That is as a result of what Aguiyi Ironsi did. When Gowon came, he built on it.
“Today, we have a constitution called the 1999 Constitution that is a product of lies because it said, ‘we the people of Nigeria’, but the people of Nigeria never met to write the constitution.”
We Are Developing At Snail Speed, Says ACF Former Scribe
Former secretary general of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and elder statesman, Anthony Sani, said the celebration of Nigeria at 65 is laden with joy and sadness.
In his reaction on the subject of Nigeria at 65, Sani lamented that at 65 years of Nigeria’s independence, the country was sadly developing at snail speed.
Sani said, “My position on Nigeria at 65 is laden with joy and sadness — joy because we have the freedom to govern ourselves the way we like; sadness because we are developing at snail speed.
“The celebrations would be for stocktaking with a view to knowing areas we have thrived and areas we are slow, and then chart the way forward at a greater pace,” he stated.
Many Nigerians Hopeless, Says Okorie
To the founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, at 65 years, Nigeria does not hold hope for a majority of Nigerians.
He decried what he described as lack of equity, justice and fairness in the country, especially in the South East geopolitical zone since Nigeria gained independence.
Okorie noted that since the Nigerian Civil War ended in 1970, the South East zone has continued to experience marginalisation.
He averred that the Igbos have continued to be at the receiving end, adding that the marginalisation assumed a dangerous dimension under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, a practice the present Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration not only adopted but elevated to new heights.
He said it was unfortunate that the president gave the whole South East zone only five ministers while Ogun State alone has ten important ministers.
Going down memory lane, Okorie said the military created 188 local government areas in the North East and gave the whole South East only 188 local government areas.
He decried the demolition of properties belonging to Igbos in Lagos State even when approvals were issued.
Okorie further noted that when the Northern part of the country resisted Independence, Herbert Macaulay and Nnamdi Azikiwe toured parts of the country, especially the North, and sensitised people on the need for independence.
He said as a result of the injustice against Igbos and other parts of the country, he has founded a body known as Igbo Agenda to galvanise the Igbo ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He disclosed that many top Igbos are keying into the agenda, adding they will organise the first Igbo political summit in January next year.
Okorie further averred that the Igbos will decide who will be president in 2027, adding that Igbos have 25 per cent of votes in all the states of the federation.
“We have decided to activate the sleeping giant; Tinubu will be defeated in Lagos State in 2027. Anybody who wants to be president in 2027 must have a memorandum of understanding with Igbos,” he stated.
Nigeria Is Backpedalling, Says Ex-Lawmaker
In his own submission, a former member of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Alex Ogbonnia, said that at 65, Nigeria was backpedalling.
Ogbonnia, who is also the chairman of former lawmakers in the state, said education, which is supposed to dictate the movement of the country’s development, has collapsed.
He alleged that some of the nation’s soldiers and policemen are now armed robbers as they now collect money from people at gunpoint.
Ogbonnia averred that Nigeria is not developing, stressing that many things about Nigeria were already collapsing.
He added that most Nigerian graduates are unemployable while joblessness has continued to rear its ugly head in the country.
Nigeria Regressing, Says PDP Leader Olafeso
According to a former vice chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West, Dr Eddy Olafeso, the country has nothing to celebrate at 65.
Olafeso, however, said there is much to look forward to in the near future.
“Our country has not experienced real development since the post-independence era,” he said.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP Sunday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Saturday, the Board of Trustees member of the PDP hinted that the country’s progress over the years has been hindered by poor leadership.
“Our country has not experienced its best since the First Republic under Obafemi Awolowo in the West, Sardauna and Tafawa Balewa in the North, and Michael Okpara, and Nnamdi Azikiwe in the East.
“Be that as it may, I think we have been overtaken by modernity and technology to such an extent that we have no choice but to continue benefiting from some of these international developments.
“But if you actually value human capital development, quality of life, provision of health and education, and infrastructure development, we are like retarded children.
“I believe that while things seem to be going well for some, nearly half of our people are living below the poverty line. We cannot call that development, my dear brother. And our population is growing exponentially.”
Olafeso disclosed that the country is becoming “a bastion of extreme poverty.”
“There is no way these issues can go unaddressed without affecting the quality of life. For me, there is nothing to celebrate at 65, but there is much to look forward to in the near future.
“The question is, are the people in leadership positions up to the task? Are they doing their best? Have they been able to educate themselves? The government cannot say ‘tighten your belt’ while the stomachs of those saying that are growing bigger every day.”
Olafeso lamented the impunity among Nigerians, especially those entrusted with public governance.
“There is no discipline in government. Everybody is ultimately corrupt. It has become a lifestyle. Corruption is a lifestyle in Nigeria. The ordinary people have been completely abandoned to their fate. There is no security in the land. These leaders have not done much for us. I’m not saying this is only the APC’s fault, but in the post-independence era, few leaders have truly committed themselves to the ordinary man on the street.
“The person you are talking to owes his life and the lives of his brothers and sisters to Obafemi Awolowo, who made it possible for my father and my father-in-law to send everyone to school. Polygamous fathers did not have much money, but their children were all educated. But today, the situation is worsening. IDPs — Internally Displaced Persons — are far worse off than those in war zones,” he stated.
Nigeria is Stagnant – Nsirimovu
On his part, human rights activist Courage Nsirimovu said at 65, Nigeria is not growing but facing stagnation.
“At 65, Nigeria has witnessed stagnation or what we call slow growth. I don’t think that we are even growing. We are still tagged as a third-world country and an underdeveloped country.
“The question about who to blame is clear; we have had a series of bad leaderships that have not addressed the root causes of the problem of Nigeria,” Nsirimovu said.
Nigeria Built on Faulty Foundation – Robinson
On his part, a Niger Delta activist, Dr Ken Robinson, attributed Nigeria’s problem to its faulty foundation.
Robinson said: “When you build a house and the house is not what you expected and it is faulty, it is the plan. So, the foundation of this country was faulty. We didn’t sit down to agree on what we were going to become. It was forced on us.
“So, right from the start, everything was wrong and we have been building on a faulty foundation, with faulty engineers, faulty architects and faulty builders.
“That is what has culminated into what we are seeing; the insecurity, the poverty, the hardship, the mismanagement, the corruption, the insincerity, the unpatriotic acts of some citizens and lack of unity and progress. It is everything put together from the foundation,” he said.
Some lawyers, who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sunday, said the country cannot attain true independence if leaders fail to show more commitment. According to them, the frequent coups the country has had in the past have drawn the country backward; however, it should not be an excuse for not providing good governance.
Abdul Balogun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said leaders need to do more if their impact is to be felt by those who elected them. He described the country’s electoral process as shameful, saying, “It is shameful that 65 years after, we are yet to get our electoral process right. What the nation can do is make the electoral process more transparent. Our electoral system, as it stands, is not very transparent. There are obstacles from the beginning to the end.”
According to him, the judiciary is still the only arm of government keeping the country together. He said, “No matter how bad people may perceive the judiciary, it is still the only institution standing without blemish. Of course, there may be bad eggs, but that’s not enough to discredit the great work the judiciary is doing in the country.”
He continued, “At the time we earned our independence in 1960, we inherited a system of government that runs on three limbs: the Executive branch, the Legislative branch, and the Judiciary branch. I need to say that in 1960, appeals used to move from Nigeria to the United Kingdom for final resolution. What we then saw was that we discarded the independent Constitution in 1963 to assume Republican status, and the Queen ceased to be our Head of State.”
“The Supreme Court was created as a final court, and so one would have assumed that once we had our own Supreme Court, the law of Nigeria would be supreme. Looking at it that way, you would see that I am reluctant to say that the judiciary in Nigeria has earned an ‘A’ because of our peculiar circumstances as a nation. Those circumstances have made it impossible for me to sit down as a senior citizen and give the judiciary an ‘A,’ but nevertheless, I will give it a generous pass mark because it has remained a stabilizing factor. Whether people accept their judgments or not is immaterial.”
“Immaterial in the sense that we believe in the rule of law, but we don’t want to follow the path of the law.
Yes, I can say that very clearly. Many Nigerians are reluctant to acknowledge the gravitational pull; anything that goes up must come down,” he said.
Constitutional lawyer Yusuf Baleh warned leaders in the country not to take the people for granted. He said, “65 years later, Nigerians still cannot feel the impact of governance.”
According to him, leaders may not accept the reality that Nigerians are going through tough times, saying, “The leaders may not accept the reality that the majority of Nigerians can hardly feed three times a day.”
He added, “One of the problems the country is having is a bad electoral process. Until we get our elections right, bad governance will not cease. This is because a politician believes he does not need the votes of the people to get into office, and this will cause him to misbehave because he believes the votes of the people did not take him to office.”
“We cannot make meaningful progress if our electoral process remains business as usual,” he concluded.
