The irony of a nation @ 50

Nigeria is among the 17 nations that attained independence in 1960. On October 1st, Nigeria will be celebrating its independence. Ours is a grand celebration, with a budget of over N10 billion. The Federal Government’s whopping budget for the celebration was premised on the belief that the nation in the last fifty years, has witnesse […]

Nigeria is among the 17 nations that attained independence in 1960. On October 1st, Nigeria will be celebrating its independence. Ours is a grand celebration, with a budget of over N10 billion. The Federal Government’s whopping budget for the celebration was premised on the belief that the nation in the last fifty years, has witnesse an ‘unprecedented socio-economic developments and therefore deserves an elaborate 50th independence anniversary celebration.

Some Nigerians, especially those at the helm of affairs, feel there is every reason and need for us to throw a lavish party to mark this event. Most of them argue that 50 years in the life of a nation is worth celebrating especially with ‘unprecedented socio-economic developments’ which Nigeria witnessed in the last five decades. But as writers and critics we believe that most things become clearer when viewed from a historical perspective.

So many things have changed in the last 50 years. The country moved from being a colony under British imperialism to a Republic. From mere three regions nation, Nigeria has developed to a 36-state nation with over seven hundred local councils. Apart from that, the nation was able to remain a united nation after coming out of a civil war in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It also survived military dictatorship for over three decades. The country returned to civilian rule in 1999 and for the first time the ‘civilians’ were able to supervise an election to usher in new government. We have every cause to throw a lavish celebration; after all, the nation has a lot of money, very cheap money coming from oil revenue.

However, contrary to what the leadership wants us to believe, Nigeria, as a nation, has little to celebrate. One wonders what a nation that is still grappling with issues of poverty, hunger and underdevelopment can set aside a whopping N10 billion just for one event.  

One feels saddened, shameful and worrisome that that huge amount of money can be expended in a nation in which the majority of its citizens are languishing in poverty. The country faces a growing unemployment crisis, with a very large population of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 outside the labour force. Although the country’s economy is said to be growing, the majority of our people live in abject poverty (about 70%). Domestic instability, insecurity and general poverty remain the dominant features of the nation, with frequent religious and ethnic strives, kidnapping and political assassinations.

The basis for celebration, therefore, not even lavish one, to me, is defeated, when we consider the reality on ground. Virtually all essential infrastructures for human existence have either collapsed or are in various stages of decay. According to the UNDP Human Development Report 2009, ‘between 1985 and 2004, inequality in Nigeria worsened from 0.43 to 0.49, placing the country among those with the highest inequality levels in the world’.

The same report also ranked Nigeria among the most unequal countries in the world despite its vast resources. And we all know that our poverty is artificial, imposed on us by poor and insensitive leadership. In the last 30 years, Nigeria lost direction and was held captive by a cabal, whose take in leadership is completely different from the aspiration of its citizens.

The public health sector is one of the worst in the whole world. The sector has completely collapse. The recent cholera outbreak in some part of the North is a clear example. With poor reproductive healthcare, the country has the second highest rate of maternal mortality in the world. In 2009 the UNICEF estimated that maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria is 1100 per 100,000 live births, antenatal care coverage 47 percent, institutional delivery rate 33 percent, and each woman bears six children on the average.

The current NECO and WAEC results show the level of deterioration of our school system which is glaringly evident in the quality of graduates the nation’s universities produce. The nation ranked 20th, below even war ravaged Sierra Leon, Liberia and Ivory Coast, in the list of failed nations.  The problems are compounded by the failure of governments at various levels to satisfy the basic needs of the poorest people who make up the vast majority in the population.

Power, which is the main stay of any nation’s economy, remains an elusive for the nation. From 1999 to date the sector has gulped over N20 billion, but as it is now, Nigeria currently does not have the capacity to generate 2000 MW of electricity – no town in the whole federation can burst of having 2 hours steady power supply. South Africa, a country with less than 50 million people, generates ten times as much power as what Nigeria generates.

Corruption became our way of live and is so endemic and monumental that it is absolutely difficult and hard to separate it from state policy. The Global Corruption Perception Index (CPI) rated Nigeria as the 121st out of 180 countries listed on the corruption table. Our hopes and aspiration of seeing our nation recovering from 25 years of mismanagement and corruption by prolonged military dictatorship has been shattered especially in the last ten years.

All these and more questioned the morality of spending N10 billion to celebrate our independence. Independence from what? The leadership can force us to celebrate the day, declaring it as a public holiday even. But the reality is that, that won’t solve our problems. In fact, it will even compound it. The options we have are very clear, let us stop the self-deception and chart a new course for the country and look forward for the next fifty years and see how we can turn things round.  

Kabiru Danladi Lawanti, Area 11, Garki, Abuja.