Sixty five years after Nigeria hoisted its green and white flag on October 1, 1960, the story of our independence remains a paradox. We are called the giant of Africa, blessed with abundant natural resources, vast human capital, and a youthful population. Yet, like an athlete with boundless energy but no direction, we remain stuck in cycles of unfulfilled potential.
Independence anniversaries ought to be milestones of progress; instead, they have become occasions of ritual speeches, parades, and fireworks, with little sober reflection on the reality of our condition.
Still Campaigning with Basics
At 65, Nigerian politicians still campaign with the same promises our founding leaders made decades ago: electricity, good roads, potable water, schools, hospitals, and the regular payment of salaries. These are the fundamentals of governance, the building blocks of a functioning society. Yet, they are presented as campaign promises, as if Nigerians should be grateful for what should ordinarily be taken for granted. In countries much younger than Nigeria, these issues have long been settled, while leaders focus on innovation, industrialization, and global competitiveness. For us, the basics remain elusive.
The Politics of Bread and Circus
At 65, we have turned politics into theatre. We celebrate leaders not for the policies they champion or the systems they strengthen, but for their ability to perform theatrics: sharing money on the street, buying roasted plantain by the roadside, or dancing at campaign rallies. These staged spectacles are designed to distract, and sadly, they succeed because we have normalized mediocrity. In a nation of such immense promise, we should be applauding investments in human capital universities that work, hospitals that heal, industries that employ not politicians who entertain us for votes.
Weaponized Division
At 65, we still allow politicians to manipulate us along ethnic and religious lines. Every election cycle, the same playbook is dusted off, “They are against us because of our tribe,” or “Support us because we share the same faith.” And each time, we fall for it. Rather than leveraging our diversity as strength, we allow it to be turned into a weapon of division. This weaponization of identity politics has kept us fragmented, ensuring that our unity remains fragile and our progress stalled.
The Glorification of Looters
At 65, we openly cheer politicians who flaunt their ill-gotten wealth. We have seen public officials boast on live television about acquiring luxury cars, sprawling estates, and foreign mansions with impunity. Instead of outrage, many Nigerians admire and even defend them. The value system has been inverted, integrity is mocked as naivety, while looting is celebrated as success. In such an environment, corruption thrives not because of bad leaders alone, but because society has come to normalize it.
Employment as Spoils of Politics
At 65, employment opportunities are distributed not by merit but by political loyalty. Jobs that should go to the most qualified are treated as political rewards, shared among cronies, family members, and loyalists. This culture of nepotism has not only stifled innovation but has also fueled brain drain. Our brightest minds, engineers, doctors, academics, entrepreneurs continue to migrate abroad where merit still matters, leaving behind a nation running on wasted talent.
Other Lingering Realities
At 65, the list of Nigeria’s unlearned lessons is long:
Dependence on oil… We remain a mono-economy, relying almost entirely on crude oil while neglecting agriculture, manufacturing, and technology.
Worsening insecurity… From terrorism in the Northeast to banditry and kidnapping across the nation, Nigerians live with daily fear of violence. Traveling on highways has become a gamble.
Broken education… Universities shut down for months due to strikes, while leaders send their children abroad. Education, the bedrock of progress, is repeatedly undermined.
Healthcare collapse… Public hospitals are underfunded, ill-equipped, and abandoned, while leaders fly abroad for medical treatment.
Poverty amidst plenty… Despite vast wealth, Nigeria ranks among the world’s poorest, with millions unable to meet basic needs.
A Hard Look in the Mirror
Nigeria at 65 is like an adult who refuses to grow up. Our leaders must shoulder much of the blame, but so too must the citizens who enable them by selling votes for crumbs, by defending corrupt officials on ethnic or religious grounds, and by celebrating mediocrity over excellence. Independence was meant to free us, but we remain bound by corruption, poor governance, and the dangerous comfort of lowered expectations.
If we are to redeem the dream of independence, we must go beyond annual celebrations. We must begin to demand accountability with the same energy we spend praising empty gestures. We must learn to measure progress not by speeches and parades, but by schools that teach, hospitals that heal, roads that last, and industries that employ.
The Path Forward
Nigeria at 65 has a choice, continue crawling as a giant forever trapped in infancy, or rise to the stature our resources and people deserve. True independence is not merely political freedom from colonialism; it is freedom from poverty, ignorance, corruption, and self-inflicted wounds.
The question, then, is simple, how many more anniversaries must pass before we wake up? If we do not confront our failures with honesty and urgency, Nigeria at 75 or even 100 may still be struggling with the same problems we face today. And that would not just be unfortunate; it would be a tragedy.
