Nigeria, After 51 Years of Independence

We’ve just celebrated Nigeria’s 51 years of independence. In my last year’s article of Nigeria at 50, I spent quite some time on how Nigeria hasn’t lived up to expectations. Another year has passed. Things have continued to get worse, and nothing much to show. So rather than being all pessimistic about it, I’m sure there’s so much we can do together to move the nation in the right direction.

It’s about time we turned things around. The way things have been done for the past 51 years is nothing we should be proud of, if we were to be honest with ourselves. The roads are worse and mostly impassable. Most people still live without basic amenities. Crime and greed spread like wildfire in both public and private sectors of the economy.

While the nation as a whole is facing a very steep hill, a good starting point should include the following. First, let’s start being honest with ourselves. If we’re not honest with ourselves, we can’t be honest with others. There needs to be a total overhaul of the way things have been done in the past 51 years. All government offices should not be filled based on political affiliation, ethnic background, or be based on the people you know. Instead, they should be filled based on qualifications.

Set up performance measurement and reward system. Replace or retrain those who are not performing up to expectation. Those who do should be rewarded. This should be done openly. Our future depends on what we can do today. At this very critical moment in our history, we need to put politics, religion, and ethnicity aside, if we ever want to move our country forward.

The bribery and corruption so prevalent in most places in the country must be fought by all means and by every Nigerian anywhere in the world. Last and not least, as Nigerians, we need to love and respect ourselves, no matter where we are,  if we ever want anyone out there to respect us. We can help make the change.

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Tags: Featured, greed, independence, love, poverty

Category: Featured, Politics, Social Issues, Society & Culture