55 YEARS OF GOOD BAD AND THE UGLY

"THE LABOUR OF OUR HEROES PAST SHALL NEVER BE IN VAIN"... 

Nigeria begin today,  the caption of the picture poster of this blog,  curled from a friend's page on face book drawn my attention to write this piece.  As a Nigerian with a substantial number of age,  who at least have an inside knowledge of how my country begins and how the middle journey became soar and the Democratic pursuing becoming betrayal I tend to pass my experience and to congratulate Nigeria for still being here.

Being a 55 years old is not an easy one and to be able to overcome all challenges of life within these period is also a great miracle,  Nigeria have performed such miracle that no any other country steps on such path and remain alive,  take a look at the example of some African and Middle East countries that today remain in chaos because of a mere political difference,  Nigeria is a blessed country leader.

1st October 1960, was the celebration year to Nigerians,  having collected the burden of our country with a style leadership of our first heroes,  whose resilience still been running in our minds,  our first leaders definitely tried to keep the chastity of this nation,  by setting a good foundation for development,  one can understand that,  through the set ups of the three pioneer universities,  the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.  The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile ife. The University of Nigeria,  Nsukka,  all these are the evidence of credence prudent and resilient leadership of those heroes whose only cares for the people. At a time they only asked for how there people will get a good life.  We are proud of them.

The unfortunate event of January 15th, 1966, was the beginning of Nigeria's set back.  The Military coup that resulted only on disunity and the civil war of 1966-1970,  which claimed million lives of Nigerians,  we were meant to break up by the perpetrators of that war,  but to their dismay we overcome the challenge and Nigeria forge ahead till today.

Imagine the nostalgia from the very people that witnessed the first day Nigerian flag was raised in exchange for the British colonial flag,  the flag that symbolises our richness our people,  our country and we can in the next 55 years be the expected great nation. Then here we are with some related achievement which we can not bit our chest to say we are totally free from the shackle of that colonialism. 

Post civil war Nigeria was an oil boom,  which of course to my opinion did not help Nigeria in any ramifications,  the leaders did not did the needful to make Nigeria the real African tiger,  when we we acquired huge revenues but with relatively few development,  we were characterised by embezzlement and misplaced priority of spendings,  Nigeria could have became a giant economy in the world with 1970s oli boom,  but unfortunately we were less. 

The returned civilian government under the Shehu Shagari was greeted by expectancy,  that the civilian government could be the replica of the Noah's Ark,  but the dream wa cut short,  after the incessant accusation of corruption then the another military coup in 1983 ousted the Shagari government. The War against Indiscipline by the Buhari military regime tried to repositioned Nigeria,  get rid of corruption and its practice,  Buhari used draconian approach to rectify Nigeria,  economically and to install discipline in to Nigerians because Buhari believe that,  it seems only when you install a discipline in to Nigerians then  greatness could be achieved,  so he tried to fought the War on discipline which could get rid of corruption off Nigeria. 

1985,was another coup that Brough Gen. Babangida who tried his best also to restructured Nigeria according to his ideology,  IBB as he was widely called,  did his best on some field of economy,  The NDE, the NALDA, the MAMSER, the People's Bank for microeconomic resuscitation,  the DFFRI  and some FOREX policy.  But IBB's policy was marred with SAP the famous IMF structural adjustment program,  which has required Nigeria to accept an economic restructuring for an IMF loan,  which IBB did,  for only God knows motive,  SAP did not help Nigeria in any form,  rather the program killed the progress of Nigeria,  for example in 1987/1988 the Nigeria Railway Corporation was liquidated,  in just few months thousands of Nigerian families became jobless,  the company in just twinkle of an eye,  became useless. The Maradona government was known widely as the most corrupt after independent,  till when the recent Jonathan PDP administration which became the worst in Nigeria's history.  

Nigeria has been on a crossroads for decades which as a result of selfish governance institutionalised corruption,  so much that Nigeria was nicknamed a corruption country,  many people see Nigerians inseparable from corruption.  55th anniversary, still we are battling development,  still we are expecting to have better infrastructure, still we are battling to settle our unity in diversity, still we are campaigning for good health, good and better education and many more that we were supposed to have surpassed for the past 30 years. As Nigerian I'm happy to have witnesses many change of government and I witnessed many obstacles that the country have to cross to make it this far.  Nigeria is a country of abundance,  human and capital resources that should be enough to cater all of us. The more than 150 million population is a blessing,  we are the ninth in the planet earth,  and sixth in the oil riches.

Independent or not,  we are still moving as free people,  despite the set back.  The terrorism that nearly kill Nigeria which rendered many from the North East homeless,  make us to remember our commitment to be free,  we must unite against all and we must stand to fight for yet another freedom,  the good things that happens to Nigeria help us to make our ways in the group of Nations,  the bad and the ugly things that happened to us,  will only make us to spur our development and make us to learn many things of this Nigerian life. 

We happy to reach this far,  as one country,  with also a good leadership today of President Muhammadu Buhari. Surely there shall be a change in this country. And we hope the change we fought for in the last General election will be a reality and for good to this Country. God bless Nigeria!!