The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Nigeria at 56

What a nation! Nigeria today mark 56 years of existence as an independent nation, free from the colonial rule of the Queen or the British. I can't really assert that there is no difference between the Nigerian of 1960 and the Nigerian of today. Of course Nigeria has indeed change simultaneously, both in a positive and negative way. In terms of development we can boast that we have achieved something on the background of no comparison with our colleagues that achieved such fate at almost the same time. Our leaders might have tried their best in building a nation where the rule of law is acknowledged to the heart but maybe their best is not best enough to ensure such desired change.

  The goods of Nigeria at 56 can be said to be greatest black nation on earth, the former best African economy, the country with the richest black man, the giant of Africa (Population wise), the availability of human and material resources to ensure development and growth which has not be optimally harness due to the "resource curse", which is also called the paradox of plenty. Our collective goodness is so few compared to our bads and ugly, this has however create an impression in me that a revolution is needed to bring the desired change we all thirst for as a nation.

  Nigeria is currently in it 6th republic haven experience series of military coups that somehow distort the democratic system model, which is the supposed political growth model to ensure development as ascribed by the colonialist. We are taught right from the elementary school that some set of people fought for the independence of this nation, but I keep wondering if the fight they fought was really not in vain. This is because when somebody fight your way to freedom, it is believe you have a better tomorrow, but even though I never experience the time before independence but our grand parents told us the situation then. The only difference between then and now is instead of being chastised by the colonial masters, you are being chastised by your own blood or a fellow Nigerian, which explains why I am trying to evaluate Nigeria so far in it journey of independence.

  I personally never blame the fact that Nigeria has never experienced peace for a decade consequently, this is because a school of thought believed Nigeria as a nation itself is an "Error of History". How can a nation formed by error ever get it right when it people share diverse culture, belief, traditions and norms. Nevertheless, should a child who was born out of wedlock commit suicide? The answer is absolutely No.

   Further more, in the bads of Nigeria at 56 I will be bias in my opinion if I don't question the fact that I wonder if we are truly independent, I often ask myself what does being independent means in a nation where inequality before the law is almost legalized, a country where the law is inferior to the rich and noble (Aristocrats) while the working class or put it in the words of Karl Marx "Proletariat", live at the mercy of the rich "Bourgeoisie". We live in a lawless society that pretends to have law, we are blindfolded by religion, regionalism and tribalism, therefore resulting to a constant problem which are often a political propaganda to cause divisions among us for the selfish interest of few.

   For over a decade this country have being suffering from the menace of Boko Haram, yet our leaders failed to support the Former President Goodluck Jonathan in fighting to end the violence on the political basis. Millions of people today have being displaced, thousands of lives have being loss and many more infrastructures have being destroyed. Today as we celebrate 56 years of our meager achievement, the Niger Delta Avengers are possibly planning to vandalize an oil pipeline, the Boko Haram are possibly planning to bombard churches, mosques, markets and any gathering with suicide bombers, IPOB (Indigenous people of Biafra) are planning succession, an average Nigerian is going to bed with neither breakfast, lunch nor dinner, so I even wonder what we are celebrating.

  More so, the story of Nigeria will be so incomplete without the ugly word "Corruption". If you are looking for the most feared individuals in the world as to evil and corrupt practices, then the first person that will be called is a Nigerian, Patricia Etteh, Dasuki, Ngozi Madueke, patience Jonathan are the recently Prominent Nigerians caught right in the act with many others individuals who planned to engage in padding the budget. A typical Nigerian man overseas is viewed a cheat. However, thank God for the President Buhari with his agenda of change to stopping corruption, however this does not occur without a negative impact on the economy.

 I really find it difficult to identify any reasonable feat achieved by Nigeria in it 56 years of independence, as all I see is trotting and crawling development, where the leaders of 1960s to 1980s are still the circle of leaders we have. How can a country whose power have being circularize ever achieve it right? We live in a country that lacks continuity, every policies and projects aim at development are abandon by new governments with the belief to start hers.

   Well to me, Nigeria at 56 is celebrating her failure as a state, inadequate infrastructures, food insecurity, tribalism, years of incessant violence, sectionalism and corruption, inadequate power supply, and corruption.

   Conclusively, if we desire change as a nation we must first change ourselves, in the way we think, the way we act and the way we view things. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria, God bless Nigerians.