BEYOND THE PINE: NIGERIA AT 60

THE PINE

Beyond the coniferous parameters lays hopes and dreams, the greatest journey that is full of amazing yet sad stories of a people that got to hug their destiny for reasons beyond their thoughts. It was an accidental marriege as perceived by some sections of the Republic. The federal Republic was made to satisfied a colonial insertiable quest for their industrial development and strengthening of their competition world and  economic growth. Africa was a Continent of abundance resources both Natural and humans, and so was the scrambled that was conceived in Berlin in 1884.

Nigeria was captured by the British, a big area of landmass, vast with agile people and different derivable wealth to complement colonialism.

Such was the reasons of the amalgamation per say, and the antagonist sees it beyond colonial dreams put a force minting of distinct cultures, ethics and ethos. Whatever the thoughts today Nigeria has come of age, 60 years of colonial independent and looking for beyond.

THE JOURNEY

A rough and tough journey, with a trace story of once fought civil war, the post civil war and ethno-religious debacles and unrest, insecurities and insurgency. A story of the people that made up a country with a dreams that turn out to be mirage. A mirage in the sense of culpable self destruct, unpatriotic citizens and corruption that eaten almost every tissue of the once a dream of development country.

October first 2020, Nigeria will clock 60th years in post independent birthday and looking back at the history, the existence was good, an established lies that keep a deceptive steering and give a false hope to the people. Years of mismanagement, abuses of office by the one's responsible to guard the citadel, definitive hatred and ethnic divisions make impossible for the good intended quest from the serious ones. But great majority of the people thinks there is still light at the end of the tunnel. Mishandlings turns that set the mindsets of many citizens to doubts is still an encompass which is why the compassion in believe for patriotism is absent.

THE ECONOMY

Nigeria is no doubt a rich country, the most populous Black Nation on Earth, a member of OPEC and have in deposit, billions of metric tonnes of Natural resources; besides the human capital in her disposal. But what is the crime of the people that make the country a poverty breeding ground? Corruption has been the major obstacle in the Nigeria's development and that will keep lingering between the citizens in as much as there is no tangeable plan to put the things rolling for better. Most countries have dreams for development, like other citizens too, some Nigerians have dreams too to see a better country that they'll be proud of. Many of us believe it is an absent of good leadership that brought the country to the brink of disarray, an abominable rancour that stagnated it's development. 

The economy of Nigeria is a middle-income, mixed economy and emerging market, with expanding manufacturing, financial, service, communications, technology and entertainment sectors. It is ranked as the 27th-largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP, and the 24th-largest in terms of purchasing power parity. 

Nigeria is believe to be rich, the country is said to be the sixth oil rich country, but the appreciative GDP of the people could not translate in the living, the poverty in abundance has been a catastrophic story in the post independent, Nigerians have dreamt about development and keeps dreaming to see the day their country could be. Everyone believe, should the resources utilize in magnanimous ways, the country would have been among the best in the world, we would have been competing today with the Asian tigers. 

Blames upon blames is always been the notion of quotes, scholars and common people opined different phases of lackluster that crippled that stagnated the country's development. Military rules for decades that many believe it's the genesis of corruption and backwardness as well as the inconsistent democracy that serves the ruling class only, paves ways for the downfall of the people that were once promising and Enterprising. 

INSECURITIES

The emanating disturbances in the Niger Delta region, where Nigeria's incomes comes up was a disturbing issue, the Politics of appraisal that leads to the death of the prominent poet Ken Saro Wiwa,  and what preceded the death by hanging  that brought many schism between Nigerians was another blunder by the Military. 

Then comes the mother of all the disturbances, the Boko Haram terrorism that started actively in 2010, the North East that suffers more is now a partly hell, the insecurities of the area contribute to the most Economic worse of the country, a drop in agriculture that hit the food security and many more.

Youth relativeness, is the most disturbing, both in the Delta and North East regions, youth idleness played a significant role in promoting the civil disobedience, no jobs, no schools, nothing for the Younger generation. To sum it up, Corruption has been the backbones of all the predicament that befalls Nigeria. Which is a pine in the flesh of our development.

Can Nigeria survive another 6 decades together?

Can tomorrow be brighter than today?

The ones that plunged the country into Oblivion are today claiming patriotism, meanwhile the Unity in diversity is relatively absent.

As a Nigerian, I have hopes and dreams that good leaders is all we need to get to the promise Land. Can we get it?

GOD BLESS NIGERIA