With the Monday announcement by the federal government that it had cancelled the parade earlier scheduled as part of activities to celebrate the country’s 65th independence anniversary, it became glaring that this year’s Independence Day celebration was going to be different.
Since 1960 when the first ceremony held at the Race Course now Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, the military parade has become a significant aspect of the Independence Day celebration with heads of government at the various tiers of government taking the salute as the armed forces, para military outfits, school children march past.
The parade, where all the components of the armed forces, para military outfits, voluntary organisations, school children and others march past affords the president the opportunity to salute the citizens and forms the high point of activities marking the day.
Yesterday, however, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was not at the nation’s capital Abuja, to engage in the usual activities marking the day, but was in Lagos, his home state where he commissioned the renovated National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, which has now been renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts.
The celebration was low key in Abuja and was driven mainly by private concerns as most people focussed on what the president would be doing in Lagos.
Before the seat of government was moved to Abuja, all the celebrations except in the few instances it wasn’t held, were all done in Lagos, but since 1993, the venue followed the president to Abuja.
This would mark the first time a head of government would stay outside the nation’s capital on a day the nation is supposed to be celebrating independence.
Professor of Political Science, Steve Odion, in a chat with Daily Trust said marking the day is significant since Africa was colonised by the Europeans.
He said, ‘Given that many countries in Africa went through liberation struggle, there’s a basis to celebrate political freedom from the erstwhile colonial masters.’
An analyst who prefers not to be named said celebrating the day is important because it forges a sense of unity among the populace.
‘People look forward to seeing the president address them, take the salute and physically acknowledge the populace,’ he stated.
Between 1960 and 1966, October 1 became a very significant day as it serves to mark two epochs at the same time. It was celebrated as the day Nigeria attained independence from colonial rule and a day to mark the anniversary of the central government. It was also the only politically inspired public holiday making many to look forward to it.
It was highly regarded as a day that brings all parts of the country, irrespective of cultures or beliefs to stand together in unison.
Olusegun Obasanjo, who became head of state in 1976, added to the significance of the day when he chose October 1, 1979 as the day to hand over to a civilian administration. That action reinstated the day’s relevance as both a day to mark independence and the anniversary of the administration at the national and state levels giving the 19 state governors more reason to celebrate the day.
After the Nigerian civil war, the federal military government continued to celebrate October 1 as a national holiday to mark independence only as the day did not coincide with when the Yakubu Gowon regime or the subsequent regimes of Murtala Muhammad and Obasanjo that succeeded it came to power.
The civilian administration of president Shehu Shagari continued to celebrate the day as both Independence Day and the anniversary of the inauguration of his administration. The tradition continued through the various military regimes.
Then head of state, General Sani Abacha, added to the relevance of the day when he announced the creation of the six new states of Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Zamfara on October 1, 1996, a pronouncement that brought the number of states in Nigeria to the current number of 36. The six states have since then been celebrating the day as the anniversary of their creation.
Years without celebration
Though October 1 became a significant date in the nation’s history, there are instances when it could not be celebrated.
There was no Independence Day celebration in the official sense during the years the Nigerian civil war lasted, hence the 1st of October that fell in the years 1966; 1967; 1968 and 1969 were not celebrated as the country was at war over the secessionist bid by a section of the country to form Biafra.
In 1992, then military president, Ibrahim Babangida cancelled the October 1 celebration in honour of the victims of the Nigerian Air Force Lock heed C-130 Hercules plane which crashed in Ejigbo, Lagos in which 159 persons mainly military officers lost their lives.
In 2010, the celebration was nearly marred due to an explosion from two cars parked near the venue that took the lives of a dozen and injured many around the Eagle Square.
Due to that scare, there was no celebration in the following years, but in 2014 the red carpet rolled again.
Due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the day was marked low key in subsequent years in the Villa by then president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Changes that reduced the significance
When Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar as head of state chose a different day to hand over power to a civilian administration, he inadvertently introduced another politically inspired public holiday
By handing over on May 29, the nation added another public politically influenced public holiday to its calendar.
With the pressure to accord June 12, 1993, the day presidential elections held but was annulled by a military government, a place in the national history, the Muhammadu Buhari administration succumbed and declared the day as Democracy Day, hence giving the nation three politically induced public holidays with May 29 standing as inauguration anniversary, June 12 as Democracy Day and October 1 as Independence Day,
Leaders privileged to celebrate
Of the 14 persons that ruled in Nigeria since 1960, only General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi did not have the privilege of celebrating Independence Day as head of state as his regime which came to power in January 1966 was overthrown by July of the same year, three clear months before October.
The three other heads of government whose reign lasted less then a year, Murtala, Ernest Shonekan and Abdulsalami were lucky to have their tenure spread over the date, hence were able to celebrate it.
Obasanjo was privileged to take the independence salute a record 11 times, three times as Nigeria’s head of state and eight times as president.