Nigeria turns 66 today at a crucial moment in its history. It is a moment that the nation has been waiting and planning for. The planning for the 2027 elections began immediately after the 2023 polls. The 2027 elections will hold in three months. It is not a long time from now, but it is enough time for mischief makers to try to do what they are good at.
They are already at work. We did not get to this stage as a nation without fightig such people off. We are still doing that today over six decades after independence. What should engage our minds now as a people is how far we have come as a nation. Nigeria did not gain independence in 2023. It became independent in 1960.
But the way some people are going about it is as if Nigeria became independent in 2023. How can when we are celebrating our 66th national day today? It was not an independence that came easy. It was fought for by nationalists who put their lives on the line for Nigeria to be. When the the Union Jack was lowered for our chosen green white colours, it was a moment of ectasy and incredibility rolled into one.
Joy mixed with unbelievability as the people beheld the moment. It was a moment of awe that is etched in our collective memory, even if many of us did not witness the ceremony. At 66, Nigeria has come of age as a nation. A 66-year-old man or nation is a grown up and is so treated. At 66, we may not have got it all right as a nation, but that does not make us a non-starter. We have come of age and our exploits on the African continent and in the world, at large, show that we are no pushover.
We may not be where we should be, but going by history, we are not doing badly. History does not tell us of nations that became great at 66! I stand to be corrected though. The almighty Great Britain and the United States of America (USA) were not better off than Nigeria at 66!! This is not to say that we should not be greater than them at the same age. Our people tend to measure our development in comparison to the achievements of those nations at each step of the way.
They forget that our circumstances and culture differ. We did not start the race the same way with those countries. They had a headstart over us, but despite that Nigeria has held its own in the comity of nations as it pushes the barriers to make itself relevant. We, the people, remain our nation’s greatest enemy in this regard. As our leaders strive for a Nigeria of our collective dream, we have refused to stand as one with them. Instead of putting the nation first, we put our selfish interest first.
How can a nation grow if its people pull it down at every turn. What we want is a nation that works without considering what should be our own input into such a nation. A nation can only work to the extent of the sacrifices that its citizens are willing to make. We are always crying about what our country has not done for us, without thinking about what we have done to make it greater than we met it.
As far back as 1961 when he was elected president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy set his people thinking when he told them in his inaugural speech: ‘ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country’. As the 2027 elections approach, Iet me use Kennedy’s words to prick our consciences. No matter the party you belong or who you support, pause for a moment and ask what you can do for Nigeria and not what Nigeria can do for you.
For years, we have demanded too much from NIgeria, without thinking of how much we can give to it. People make a nation and not the other way round. If we really want NIgeria to be like the countries we all run to every now and then,, we must be prepared to pay the price. As the saying goes, you cannot make omelette without breaking eggs. So, we must work and make sacrifices if we want a Nigeria that looks like the UK, US, Canada, Germany, France, China, Russia and Belgium, among others, that we run to.
We cannot abandon Nigeria for those countries because, again, as the saying goes, east or west, home is the best. Our home may not look good for now, but it still remains our home. No true son abandons his father’s home because the roof is leaking. We cannot abandon Nigeria because things are not what we think they should be. Rather, we should make things work to suit that taste we see elsewhere so that foreigners will flock here too.
I have hope in a greater Nigeria. A Nigeria where things work. I see the present challenges as the teething problem of a growing child. Please, do not remind me that we are 66 for I already know that. Since Rome was not built in a day, speaking figuratively, we should not expect Nigeria to be in the class of UK and US at 66!!! Were those countriea as great as they are now at 66? They were not.
We have taken the steps to a greater Nigeria under the present administration. Although, some people may not agree. That is the beauty of democracy. As we celebrate 66 years of nationhood today, the coming elections present an opportunity for us to determine our course in the coming years. Yes, things have been hard in the past three years, but remember nothing good does not come easy.
As Kennedy told Americans over 65 years ago, I also bessech you today: ‘ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country’ so that it becomes greater and the country of first choice in the comity of nations. Happy anniversary, Nigeria.