Happy Birthday, Nigeria, could have been the best wish for my dear country as she hits two years before the Diamond Jubilee, but it seems happiness is almost an illusion for the Giant of Africa.
58 years and counting but the speed of progress has slowed. A land of great mineral and human resources yet poor in the midst of plenty. Chinua Achebe once proclaimed “There was a country” and the details of how Nigeria used to be a land of promise leaves one with the question, What went wrong?
The average Nigerian is most times pushed hard to give up on the country but it is the only reality known. A land where the citizen’s rights are presented as privileges, security is expensive, feeding is a miracle, corruption is a culture, rigging is celebrated, life is undoubtedly unbearable, and that has been projected to become one of the world’s poorest countries by 2050 (according to Goalkeepers Report 2018 by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) is, sadly, my fatherland.
My anger is justified and unarguably righteous, but in my disappointment, I have promised not to murder my hope for a working Nigeria. Obviously, to give up is cowardice, especially since I can’t erase history; I was born Nigerian and it’s an eternal stamp.
As we head to sixty, my desires are definitely not out of place. Who says there can’t be a replica of Wakanda in Nigeria? All things are possible – this fact is a product of both my faith as a Christian and the narratives changed by countries like China, Singapore and the rest.
Gladly, I have my Nigerian dream:
- I have a dream where investments are concentrated largely on human development and not human exploitation.
- I have a dream where the North, South, East and the West understand that our strength lies in our diversity.
- I have a dream where merit is honored and corruption is utterly disgraced
- I desire a Nigeria where tribalism, religious extremism, favoritism, gender inequalities are sent to an abyss, never to return.
- I have a dream where security, healthcare systems, good roads, water, and electricity are all available and most importantly affordable.
- I have a dream where Nigeria would be the Federal UNITED Republic of Nigeria and not a nation with 36 divided states.
- I have a dream where unity and faith, peace and progress, are the crux of our being.
- I have a dream where the New Nigeria is embraced fully by new Nigerians.
- I have a dream where all that matters is that we matter.
In due time, we shall regain our glory as the Giant of Africa, so help us God.
Happy Independence Day Nigeria!
Photo Credit: Dreamstime
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