Nigeria at 57: ANN Calls for Sober Reflection

Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), a new political group geared towards galvanising professionals to be involved in the political process, has called on Nigerians to use the occasion of the nation’s 57th Independence anniversary to reflect on the past and plan for the future.

In a statement signed by the national coordinator of the group and international health development expert, Dr. Jay Osi Samuels, the group said it was quite instructive that virtually all Nigerians admit that the nation has not been where it was supposed to be after close 60 years of nationhood.

“One thing we find very instructive is that virtually every Nigerian adult admits that the nation is nowhere near where it was supposed to be after 57 years. And as a result of this, while we expect the nation to celebrate this milestone, it should also be a period for us to reflect on the past and know where we failed as a nation,” the group said in the statement.

ANN said the Nigerians need to reflect on the quality or otherwise of leadership the nation has been saddled with since independence in 1960; adding that questions needed to be asked if it was the kind of leadership that could have taken the country to great heights in the last 57 years.

“Nigerians are hard working people. What has been our bane is bad leadership. Instead of clinking glasses and backslapping, let us reflect on the past and plan for the future. 2019 is around the corner. It is time for us to decide if we want the kind of leadership that will take us to the next level of one that will further push us down the valley of despondency and hopelessness,” the group said.