Nigeria marked her 56th Independence anniversary on Saturday, October 1. Assistant Editor, CHUKWUDI NWEJE, recalls the aspirations of the founding fathers and the journey thus far.
Yesterday, October 1, Nigeria marked her 56th Independence anniversary.
On October 1, 1960, at the ceremony held at the Race Course, now Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos, the Union Jack, British colonial flag, was lowered. In its place, Nigeria’s green and white flag was hoisted. The symbolic acts marked not just self-governance, but also the opportunity for the nationalists to put into play those dreams they nursed for the country.
High hopes
At Independence, the nationalists were optimistic that Nigeria was destined for greatness. With over 250 distinct indigenous ethnic groups, Nigeria is one of the most heterogeneous countries of the world. The founding fathers however expected the size and population to count as an advantage, as the country journeyed into independence.
NnamdiAzikiwe (of blessed memory), leader of the defunct National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), had, prior to the general election that ushered in independent Nigeria, told a British journalist that it did not matter who among Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo and himself that became Prime Minister of independent Nigeria on October 1, 1960.
According to him, all that mattered was that Nigeria would become independent.
With similar mindset, Kingsley Ozumba (K.O.) Mbadiwe, another foremost nationalist, had argued that the political independence was the first step to unleashing Nigeria’s greatness. His celebrated ‘seek first political independence and every other thing will be added’ speech testified to the vision the founding fathers had for the country.
The determination of the founding fathers on the project was so strong that despite the obvious limitations posed by the differences in their individual backgrounds and convictions, they strived to work towards a functional federation.
In fact, Mokwugo Okoye, a frontline nationalist and writer, shortly before his death in 1999, had presented a vivid report of the visions of the architects of modern Nigeria.
The dream, he said, was to build a country which would guarantee freedom, justice and equality to all. He further maintained that the forebears had envisioned a giant Nigerian enterprise that would champion and protect the cause of its citizens and, indeed, the black man in the comity of nations.
Thus, guided by these alluring visions, the forebears, leading thousands of youths and even the elderly who provided the raw energy and verve for the nationalistic struggle, thronged the Lagos Race Course hours before midnight of September 30, 1960 to herald the birth of a new nation.
Those that witnessed the colourful occasion still find it difficult to explain their euphoria at the event.
Word of caution
Even with the palpable excitement, there were suggestions on how to go about it.
Rt. Rev. A.W. Howells, then Bishop of Lagos, in his homily at the Independence service, likened the country to a vehicle and warned against bad drivers and back seat drivers if Nigerians desired the vehicle to get to its destination.
“As it were, we are going to journey along unknown roads which may be rough in some places and smooth in others, but if we let God be the driver, we shall ever be safe.
“We are entering the motor car of independence. There are good and bad drivers, but the worst driver is the back seat driver who seeks to advise the man at the wheel on what to do…
“The majority of us have to take the back seat of independent Nigeria and let the Prime Minister, other ministers and legislators drive it. But let us always see that we do not burden the driver or make driving more difficult by making noise when he wants to concentrate, or by telling him to apply the brakes or to speed up when perhaps it is not advisable to do so. We can sit at the back not as onlookers, not as back seat drivers, but let us uphold them always in our prayers.
“Then it will make all the difference if, with the eyes of faith, we all, our leaders can let God really be the driver…”
Nigeria at crossroads
After dislodging the colonialists, who were their ‘common enemy’, it did not take long before the ranks of the founding fathers were broken along political party lines. The Northern People’s Congress (NPC), the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), the Action Group (AG) and other political parties of the era fought fiercely for political power. Most of the political parties were regional in outlook, as they had their stronghold in then regional governments of Northern Region, Eastern Region and Western Region, in that order. Later the Mid-West Region was created following protests of marginalisation by the minority group in the Western Region.
It is the same feeling of marginalisation and quest for power that led to the 36-state structure with agitation for even more.
Aside the division along ethnic and political lines, the relative fast-paced development in the regions carried with it a creeping culture of indiscipline and corruption that gradually but steadily pervaded the major fabrics of the nation. Informed analysts identify the relative lax in the centre at the time as creating room for corrupt officials in the regions to run riot with the public till.
Coup culture
With time, the rot in the system had become quite overt. The prevailing violent political atmosphere, especially in the Western Region, led to a military coup on January 15, 1966.
In July of same year, there was another coup, led largely by officers of Northern extraction which was seen as a ‘return match’ to the January coup.
The ensuing political and ethnic crises culminated in a civil war that lasted 30 months. After the war, it seemed that military coups became a fashion for changing ‘unpopular’ governments not just in Nigeria but the entire Africa.
Democratic rule was restored in 1979 after 13 years of military rule.
However, in 1984, after just four years of democracy, the military interrupted the democratic process again and held on to power until May 29, 1999 when the current Fourth Republic was inaugurated.
Chequered political process
In its 56 years of independence, Nigeria had spent approximately 28 years apiece under military and civilian rules. In those years, the country transited from parliamentary system to a presidential system and a federal structure where the four regional governments were almost independent to a 36-state structure and a federal capital territory that are all dependent on the federal government that hands them peanuts monthly as allocation from the Federation Account.
Analysts said the transition from the federal set-up that existed before the military intervention in 1966 to the existing quasi-federal structure had distorted the country politically and economically.
Unrealised dreams
Fifty-six years after Independence, there is the argument that the dreams of the founding fathers for Nigeria have not been realised.
Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, admitted this much in an open posthumous letter he wrote to the late Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto.
In the letter shared on facebook, Kukah said the Sardauna would weep if he saw what had become of the legacies he left behind. He particularly lamented that some of the values the Sardauna lived and died for had been abandoned by successive leaders in the country.
Kukah is not alone in this observation. Provost, Abia State College of Education (Technical), Philip Ntoh, also regrets that the country has not utilised its enormous resources and thus has not attained the mileage it ought to have covered at 56.
“We are glad that Nigeria is 56; we have passed so many challenges. Barely six years after Independence, we had the civil war, which means it was not easy for Nigeria to take off ab initio.
“After the civil war, we have also had other wars which may not be civil war but economic wars. We have not been able to make it economically, though the prospect is there as a nation, given the population size which is an indication of market size,” he said.
He added that the country, with its potential in terms of land mass, population and size, “should be able to excel economically”.
“We have very good climate condition, which is conducive for agriculture. So I wonder why a nation with this kind of potential is not able to diversify into agriculture.
“Nigeria is the only country where if you eat an orange, paw- paw or anything and throw it away, it germinates.
“We have a country endowed with so many minerals. We have the solid minerals, unfortunately we only place emphasis on crude oil mineral resources that is the major problem of Nigeria,” Ntoh said.
The provost advised that Nigeria diversifies its economic base because “a country that places its economic emphasis on only one product will face economic doom”.
He added: “The recession they are talking about is because greater proportion of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is from crude oil.”
Unity questioned
President Muhammadu Buhari, who was in charge as military head of state between December 31, 1983 and August 27, 1985, has a problem in his hands to keep Nigeria as one entity. That much, he acknowledged in his nationwide address yesterday wherein he reiterated the need for Nigerians to live as one indivisible entity, in line with the thinking of our forefathers.
He is dealing with Boko Haram insurgents in the North, Niger Delta militants in the South South and Biafra agitators, especially the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in the South East.
Leader of IPOB, NnamdiKanu, is in detention for alleged treason. Soldiers have been sent to the creeks to decimate the militants, while there are talks of negotiating with Boko Haram for the swap of its members with kidnapped girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, over two years ago.
After over half a century of Independence, can President Buhari arrest the above restive scenarios and give Nigerians an enduring entity?