With Nigeria celebrating its 65th Independence anniversary on the 1st of October, regional blocs, politicians, and leading legal brains have provided a mixed assessment of the country’s future with different opinions varying from subdued optimism to dark pessimism.
The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, expected Nigeria to move out of its problems, attributing this to God’s favor, endowment of resources, tenacity of the people, and policy direction by President Bola Tinubu as reasons to anticipate good things. Its chairman, Jare Ajayi, nonetheless admitted that failures in leadership over the years had eroded faith in between leaders and people, charging political public office holders to be patriotic.
Conversely, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) attributed Nigeria’s underdevelopment to military rule and the 1999 Constitution, which it called a “product of lies.” PANDEF spokesman Dr. Obiuwevbi Ominimini explained that true federalism was abandoned after the First Republic, with the effect of making some areas poor while others shamelessly exploited natural resources.
Anthony Sani, former secretary general of ACF, who is from the North, said the country’s experience has been “full of joy and sorrow,” even if self-rule has not yet seen the country move “at snail pace.”.
APGA’s founder, Chief Chekwas Okorie, was more trenchant, deploring what he referred to as systemic marginalisation of the South East since the Civil War. The imbalance in appointments under both Buhari and Tinubu’s governments was increasing despair in the region, he said. Okorie also launched an “Igbo Agenda” before 2027, maintaining the Igbo would be determinative in the next presidential election.
The same was witnessed by former Enugu legislator Alex Ogbonnia, who said that Nigeria was “backpedalling,” with education in disarray, unemployment on the increase, and security dwindling. PDP chairman Eddy Olafeso echoed the same view, saying that Nigeria had “nothing to celebrate at 65,” attributing the country’s ills to corruption, impunity, and leadership failure.
Human rights activist Courage Nsirimovu deplored Nigeria as being stagnant, while Niger Delta campaigner Ken Robinson noted that the country’s ills stem from a “faulty foundation” established at independence.
Legal professionals were also concerned with the electoral process and rule of law. Chief Advocate Abdul Balogun called Nigeria’s elections “shameful” and indicated how the judiciary stabilises the nation. Constitutional lawyer Yusuf Baleh proceeded to state unless the leaders change the electoral system, the people will just keep suffering from poor governance.
Divided in their views, but agreeing on one thing, that Nigeria’s immense potential has not yet been channelled into concrete achievements for Nigerians, 65 years after independence.
