Independence: MPAC Calls For Renewed Commitment To Justice, Accountability, Equal Citizenship

As Nigeria marks 66 years independence anniversary, the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) Nigeria has called for renewed commitment to justice, accountability and equal citizenship.

While congratulating Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, MPAC asked the question this anniversary must force us all to answer: What does independence mean to the ordinary Nigerian today?”

MPAC’s executive chairman, Disu Kamor who noted that a flag raised was not the measure of freedom, said “the measure is whether a citizen can live with dignity, security, justice and opportunity”.

According to the group, that dignity is only possible when Nigeria’s sovereignty is treated by our political leaders as sacrosanct.

“True independence demands that we remove all vestiges of colonialism and imperialism from governance- from our laws and institutions, to our economic arrangements and foreign policy that must put Nigeria and Nigerians first.

“A truly independent Nigeria is one where the law protects the weak as firmly as it restrains the powerful. It is one where a person’s faith never determines the quality of justice they receive, where poverty is not a permanent inheritance, and where young Nigerians can build a future at home instead of searching for one abroad.

“Nigeria has made progress, and we acknowledge it. But we must be honest about the distance between the country we were promised, the country we have, and the country we owe one another. We cannot celebrate independence while millions struggle to afford basic necessities of life.

“We cannot speak of unity while distrust, religious suspicion, ethnic division and political exclusion erode our social fabric. We cannot claim freedom where citizens are afraid to speak, institutions struggle to earn public confidence, and accountability is treated as an inconvenience rather than a constitutional duty.

“And we cannot build prosperity while a generation of young people is left with unemployment, frustration and fading hope.

“Nigeria does not lack potential. It lacks enough courage, discipline and leadership to turn that potential into progress”.

MPAC called on the governmentvto deliver on the core duties of the state- security, justice, economic opportunity, quality education, healthcare, infrastructure and transparent governance- and to defend Nigeria’s sovereignty as sacrosanct, rejecting any arrangement that undermines our self-determination.

It urged citizens to reject indifference, resist hatred and misinformation, demand accountability through lawful and democratic means, and refuse to let political, ethnic or religious differences destroy our shared humanity.

It called on political, religious and community leaders, the media and the private sector to move beyond the annual ritual of celebration and commit to the harder work of nation-building.

While noting that Muslims’ commitment to this country was rooted in justice, integrity, compassion, responsibility and peaceful coexistence, it said “Our faith does not excuse us from national development. It demands that we contribute to it with excellence and conscience.

“Nigeria’s diversity should not be a permanent fault line. It is one of our greatest national assets. Our differences in faith, ethnicity, language and culture should never stop us from agreeing on what matters to us as people of shared destiny: human dignity, justice, security, equal citizenship, and the right of every Nigerian to live a meaningful life.

“The Nigeria of tomorrow will not be built by slogans. It will be built by institutions that work, leaders who are accountable, citizens who are responsible, and a society that refuses to normalise injustice. Independence is not the destination. It is a responsibility”, it added.