Fifty years after independence, Nigeria is still far from realizing its true potentials because of leaders who lacked vision and placed self above service to the country, presidential aspirant of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has said.

In a special independence anniversary message to Nigerians, Mallam Ribadu said the country’s economy and the overall quality of its governance do not reflect its 50 years of independence. “Collectively, we have betrayed the efforts and aspirations of our forefathers and heroes who struggled to get the country out of the shackles of colonialism,” he noted.

The Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary, he said, should serve as an opportunity for all Nigerians to pay homage to the heroes of the Independence struggle by imbibing the ideals that powered their vision of a free and sovereign nation some 50 years ago.

According to Mallam Ribadu, “Our celebration today hangs on the efforts of our heroes, who fought and battled tirelessly to free our country from the oppression of colonial rule”. He added: “When I reflect on the history of our country and the dreams of our founding heroes, I am overwhelmed by a deep feeling of sadness at the disgraceful level of underachievement we have recorded in 50 years. Our heroes had a vision; a vision to make Nigeria the giant of Africa; a vision that would make Nigeria a nation of great repute; a vision of a nation whose prosperity also meant the prosperity and pride of its citizens”.

“Fifty years on, our country seems to have strayed from the path of greatness they sought because we have had leaders who failed to look beyond their selfish interests,” the former anti-corruption czar said. “True leadership is about planting a vision that is watered by selflessness and nurtured in dedication and sheer hard work even when we know we would never live to be direct beneficiaries. Selfish leaders do not build nations!”

While apologizing to the heroes of our independence for the betrayal of their effort, Mallam Ribadu said there was hope for the future because Nigerians are resilient and resourceful people. He congratulated Nigerians on the Golden Jubilee Independence anniversary, noting that “Nigeria was not about the bad leaders but about all of us and if we must make the dreams of our founding father a reality, we must take active part in the forthcoming elections”.

“In this season of Independence and celebrations, let us reflect on the possibility of freeing our country from the clutches of bad governance by instituting values such as integrity, competence, compassion and tolerance. I stand for all these and I believe together we can restore our nation to its rightful place,” he said.

2011 Elections
On the forthcoming general elections, Ribadu reminded Nigerians that the path to true democracy starts with the conduct of credible elections which not only confers legitimacy on the government, but also ensures that government is indeed of the people, for the people and by the people.

He urged Nigerians to take advantage of INEC’s planned voter registration exercise to ensure they get registered to vote for candidates of their choice. “If we leave the electoral process to the people who brought us to the current state, things will never change,” he said.

Ribadu, a former police officer made a name for himself as an upright federal prosecutor, a profile that contributed in no small measure to his emergence as the pioneer chairman of the EFCC, an organisation that won universal recognition and respect under his leadership.

An icon of hope and promise for Nigerian youth, Ribadu captured the imagination of millions of Nigeria when he declared his intention to stand in Nigeria’s forthcoming presidential election with a promise to root out corruption, rebuild broken institutions and promote accountability and transparency in governance.

He is running on the combined philosophy of hope and change, themes that resonate quite well with Nigerian youths who have stepped forward as volunteers for the Ribadu Campaign.