It’s time to Emerge Nigeria

By snowflake King

Hello everyone welcome to another 1st October celebration as Nigeria reaches a land mark age, 60.

The world most blessed Nation has made progress despite the hitches in the run up to this age and despite the setback of the war in 1967. Nigeria has taken some giant steps which one can actually describe as remarkable from the realistic standpoint of things.

When one is a child, one is taught everything by parents or elders so as to make lesser mistakes or avoid becoming a victim of circumstances but as one gets older the decision making process hinges on the individual more.

So it has been for this great nation Nigeria. We have moved past the colonial years and we are learning through first hand experience how to govern our affairs and take responsibility of our nation though somehow one would say through the hard way.

Despite our shortcomings and ignorance in handling some grave situations we still have one major thing to celebrate as a nation and that is the unity of the nation though faced with stiffest of opposition has been hanging even with obvious cracks.

Regional differences exist and cultural differences still count but we are not carrying our daily routines with daggers in our pockets or rifles hidden under our belts for fear of another tribe or ethic group hunting for our dear lives.  This is something to thank God. For a country with numerous ethnicity and over 700 local governments having diverse language and cultural heritages one would think these differences though they exist would collapse the state of the nation by now.

Howbeit there has been a level of peace and tranquility in many regions with a few exceptions to this fact. Nigeria is one nation and irrespective of some tribalistic and nepostic gesture in terms of seeking employment, gaining admission into school or gaining some advantage which exist we have managed to bear with each other our short comings as painful as it may have been for those of us affected one way or the other.

Infrastructure wise Nigeria has made a lot of significant changes as places which were old fashioned and underdeveloped have become beautiful sites. States which were once covered with bushes have turned their wastlelands into an enviable presence to behold. Take Abuja for instance which was once covered with rocks has experienced the greatest transformation in terms of structure and form as it is considered  the most beautiful place in the country. States where waters dominated have also done much progress , turning their rivers into useful tourist attractions  and some have undergone reclamation for beautiful structures to be erected on them.
The once hated plains hold gigantic buildings too numerous to count with aesthetic beauty akin to Dubai.

Photographs of Nigeria taken from the sixties and now show that there is indeed physical modifications and enhancement present in our dear nation.

Security wise the nation has fallen short, not because  of burglary, theft or robbery but in the context of religious fanaticsm and political desperation from places who feel insecure of what they have to offer the nation.

The Boko Haram issue which came into existence a decade ago with the October 1 bombing on the national eagle square has been the highlight of our broken fences security wise. The military have become shadow of themselves as scores are killed daily in this fight against terrorism. Homes destroyed and families left divided especially in the north east region.
The most disheartening part of this ruthless act is that some or this acts are politically motivated while some others are perpetuated by enemies of the nation to ruin what would be a peaceful nation. National peace is being sacrificed on the basis of politically motivated advancement.

As for the Niger Delta region the issues of possession of arms has been diffused by the existence of amnesty.  The amnesty has provided job opportunities for youths with a penchant for violence therby forcing them to build more responsible lives void of violence and thuggery.

Electricity distribution is  another key area where the nation falls short.  As tarrifs are very high now, without a reasonable improvement in the availability of  power. The nation still depends on the dams built by the British colonial masters.  Which is a minus to our sovereignty as a nation.

Our health sector has hardly improved with cases of careless deaths still in our news from time to time.

Our education has depreciated as in the past we used to have exams that were accepted easily by our colonial masters such as the London GCE etc.  The incessant strikes have not been helpful as they have hindered the progress rate of students who stay out of school for a long time.

Our roads have been bad as there are still accidents rampaging travellers daily especially on the road to Lagos. For years people have lost their lives without the government doing something tangible. In fact or requirements for drivers have been below standard as  a lot of people drive cars without being able to understand road signs something that doesn’t speak well of the nation in terms of carefulness.

Our elections have been scraopy as vote buying is very prevalent and credibility of our votes counting is almost impossible. Our tribunal judges take bribes and upturn victories in favour of loses.

The issue of corruption has been very detrimental to the progress of the nation as it has affected the selection process in all forms and in all ramifications from our schools to work to even our religious bodies. Governments borrow money and it is looted and not used for the very purpose it was obtained leaving the states in debt.  Nigerians around the world are in prison for one crime or the other mainly fraud related crimes.

How Can Nigeria be better ?

Nigeria can only be better if the issue of corruption is taken seriously. Our constitution protects rule breaker and the rich are favoured.  Politiciana who see jail time are often the ones with a different voice from the ruling party and money stolen is not returned to the coffers of where it is taken. The Nigerian constitution needs a serious review.

Nigerians must realize it is their duty to question their leaders. Question what they do with the resources trusted to them. Nigerians must demand accountability.

We must also change the mentality of worshipping those who steal what is meant for the citizens as it encourages more stealing.

We must demand our governments build more power stations and set electricity tariffs at affordable prices.  Each region should use the mineral dominant to fuel its power station. Those with  gas should employ gas turbines and those with coals should use steams.

We must ensure our religious leaders are not fanatics who will make unguarded and decisive statements capable of inciting division. A bill should be passed to prevent people from crossing the line in religious fanatical acts.

Our education sector should experience a revamp. The length  of schooling should be adjusted to something synonymous to the British system where a degree course is three years.

The northern Nigeria should be given so much focus as it is the area most deprived of good education. And this can he done from adjusting the primary school curriculum.  The education scheme will help curtail the Boko Haram challenge.

The warfare of civil servants in the country needs to be addressed as the minimum Wage has to be improved to a reasonable level. 30k a month cannot feed a family man.

Politicians who hold sensitive positions should not be allowed to travel abroad for treaj

Political office holders should sign an accountability clause which enables them publish what they have done for their Constituency monthly so as to discourage looting of money meant for welfare of people.

Those given contracts must execute the contracts and the issue of inflation of contracts be addressed.

These and numerous more will see Nigeria come out of darkness into a better direction towards light.

At sixty Nigeria deserves to be leading Africa clearly in all ramifications and it is time for Nigeria to emerge out of the dark into light.