By Samuel Akinnuga
Dear Nigerians,
Please accept this very kindly. It is from the heart of a concerned young Nigerian.
I am just a little over 2 decades old so I cannot claim to know much or to have experienced some of the epoch-making eras in our country’s history but I have had to read just so I am in touch with the stories and dramas I am not old enough to have witnessed. Let me begin by sharing a few things I know about our country:
Nigeria became an entity in 1914 by the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates, a marriage priested by our colonial masters. We became independent in 1960 and in 1963, a federal republic.
Just six years into our democracy in 1966, the military no longer found the barracks congenial and tampered with the democratic set-up giving reasons such as the high-level corruption in government for the usurp.
Somewhere I read that in seven years after our independence precisely in 1967, there was war in the country. The Civil War, it was called. A war that took the lives of men, women and children. A war to crush the agitation for secession of a certain part of the country. Over 3 million Nigerians lost their lives in the war that lasted almost 3 years.
I have read that military men kept ousting themselves from the seat of power whenever there was a discontent in some quarters many of which were based on tribally-induced biases.
I have read that the military subjected Nigerians to the darkest years of governance. Things were really bad – military heads became gods and Nigerians became slaves in their own country.
The military came back to their senses by handing over to the civilians in 1979. Again, I read this was short-lived as another coup ousted the democratic apparatus on ground. We, or should I say the military government dragged this on till sometimes in 1993 when the Head of State set in motion a series of activities that culminated in the formation of new political parties and the conduct of a democratic election. After the successful conduct of the election which is still adjudged to be the freest, fairest and most credible in the history of the country, the military head annulled the election and by this singular unreasonable move, truncated what could have been the turning point, the beginning our greatness. I learnt the election was particularly special because for the first time on June 12, 1993, Nigerians shunned ethnic and religious biases and voted for conscience by putting the nation first.
I read the interim government put in place was put in place and this setup was again distorted when another military junta, headed by the Dark-goggled General or so they describe him seized power in 1993. I read that this period scored as the darkest period in the history of the country. A lot of Nigerians were beaten, jailed and in the worst case killed for criticising the people into whose hands their corporate and collective destinies was put.
I read this military head was himself ousted, this time not by the military, but by some ‘miracle apple’, the details of which I am not so clear about. I read that the celebration that followed his death was unprecedented in the history of the country.
The military head that succeeded the black-goggled General set in motion processes that culminated in the drafting a new constitution and ultimately the transition to civilian government in 1999. A retired General and a former Head of State was the man who would be steering the wheels of the Nigerian state from the beginning of the
Presidents have come and gone. Governments have promised and failed. Nigeria, in my opinion, has not seemed to have a lot of progress in the right direction. The spirits of many concerned have isn’t as high as it should be. The nation is in a mess – sick in my opinion. I must say that this essay is not to blame anyone or anything for our woes. We are all responsible. This happened before our very eyes and we did nothing about it.
I am of the opinion that only Nigerians can solve the multifarious challenges the nation is grappling with. We are daily inundated by the dramas that the political leaders put up. It is very unfortunate that at this stage of our political evolution, we still place personal interests high and above the national objectives.
Some have argued that Nigeria is not a nation that practices true federalism and that that is a major of our problems. I am asking if Nigeria is a nation yet or just a geographical entity filled with natural resources or a term used to differentiate those who live within the geographical space from those who do not. I want to maintain that I don’t think Nigeria is a nation yet.
As a young Nigerian, I have, just like many others had my share of the frustrations and disappointments that the system has an overabundance of. Every year in the country always has its own drama. There’s a lot to be done in the country and there is a lot to be done for the country people. I believe that the Nigerian people also have a role to play in the Nigerian project. We can start by getting involved in the political process. We can begin with a change in our orientation. We can begin with a firm to resolve to get the right people to the right places. We can start be reviving our moral codes because of a truth, our moral system is in a sordid state. The best place to start is certainly an admission that the country needs saving and that is the reality. I have made a resolve to be a plus to the society. It is my hope that every Nigerian would too, in thoughts, words and actions. It is a place of 180 million Nigerians – bright, enterprising, promising people.
I want to end this by stating that I really do not expect so much from the older generation but I look forwards to the time when the younger Nigerians would take hold of the destiny of this country, save it and present a nation worth having to the tomorrow Nigerian.
Fellow Nigerians, our country deserves better. Let us save it – it’s the only one we’ve got.
May God bless us!
Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Oriental Times
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