Nigeria@60: One step forward, three backward?

Nigeria has just celebrated her diamond jubilee. As expected, President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the logo before the anniversary. As usual, the Federal Government carried out activities to mark the 60th independence celebration.

Even before the anniversary, political analysts, financial experts and public commentators expressed their views and opinions on the country’s the independence anniversary. To the optimistic group, 60 years of independence are worthy of celebration.

The country has been able to cross the social, political and economic Rubicon in spite of numerous challenges, including political instability, which led to different military coups.

It is a source of inspiration that a country that has more than 350 ethnic groups has stayed together for 60 years.

To this group, it is a cheering piece of news that the country has been able to survive the glaring and outright theft of its resources by the so-called leaders steering its affairs.

The pessimistic group view the country’s 60th anniversary as one step forward and three backwards. To them, Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and natural resources.

Sadly, the country is not at par with its contemporaries that attained the same independence.

For instance, Nigeria got independence few years after India. However, India’s per capita income has doubled that of Nigeria. India has promised to assist Nigeria with nuclear energy to boost its power generation.

They have argued that since the First Republic when the country had its the first generation leaders who were imbued with foresight and patriotism, Nigeria has become a shadow of its self, with nothing to celebrate.

Unfortunately, the present leaders lack patriotism, and are preoccupied by divisive politics and passion for wealth accumulation. They have continued to exploit the country’s fault lines, not for nation building, but as a ladder to attain leadership positions.

It is not an understatement to say that lack of good leadership has further compounded the country’s political and economic woes.

Whatever may be the positive or negative perspectives of the country’s chequered history of independence, the diamond jubilee should serve as a period of assessment.

It is time to take a look at our constitution and government structures and identify the factors that become cogs in the wheel of the country’s development.

At 60, there are discordant voices and grievances from various political zones.

In the South-West, it is a call for restructuring, the SouthSouth demands the control of resources, South-East is pushing for confederation, while the North agitates for Sharia.

Although, these grievances have been with the country for long, there is the need for a genuine, not political conference, on how to resolve them.

At 60, Nigeria is still grappling with almost intractable security challenges. Boko Haram insurgency, kidnapping, killer-herdsmen, communal strifes and other forms of terror have bedevilled the country in every direction.

The recent global ranking by the World Poverty Clock that placed the country as the poverty headquarters of the world is not encouraging. Government should initiate home-grown economic policies that would address the high rate of poverty in the country. There is a strong correlation or nexus between poverty and deteriorating insecurity in the country.