It is said that celebrating a country while it suffers is akin to dancing on your mother’s sickbed as she takes her last breath. It’s like praising a house that’s burning down or serving a lavish feast on a table littered with unpaid bills. This paradox of celebration while things crumble around us is emblematic of Nigeria’s current plight. The more we celebrate, the more we ignore the dire realities gnawing at our core.
A dollar today exchanges for a staggering 1700 naira. The price of foreign rice has surged to 115k, while local rice costs 95k. Transport costs have shot up by 400%, making movement a luxury few can afford. Meanwhile, the minimum wage barely covers three days of fuel, with petrol now priced at 1400 naira per liter. These numbers are not just figures; they are a testament to the growing inequality, despair, and economic collapse that gripped the nation.
We are told, year after year, that our nation is progressing, that we are great, that the future is bright. But those are nothing more than words,words that have no bearing on our reality. Our leaders offer us hope that fades like a mirage in the scorching desert, disconnected from the daily struggle of Nigerians.
When I look at countries that endured long colonial rule countries like India, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Macau I wonder: Why is Nigeria not on the same path to prosperity? Could we have been better off if the British had remained our leaders? The answer, though uncomfortable, might be yes.
Colonialism, for all its faults, operated under a framework of law and order, something that seems almost impossible in Nigeria today. Travel on the Kaduna-Abuja or Birnin Gwari roads, and it’s easy to see that Nigeria is a nation in crisis. Banditry and kidnappings have turned vast swathes of the country into no-go zones. In Zamfara and Katsina, people have been displaced, becoming refugees in their own land. What happened to the stability that even the colonial administration managed to enforce?
Corruption, which was once a whispered concern during colonial times, has blossomed into a full-blown epidemic. The staggering amounts stolen by our leaders over the decades well over 2 trillion dollars would never have been tolerated under the watchful eye of colonial overseers. And yet, despite these scandals, the projects that began in 1983 are still ongoing, with billions disappearing year after year.
Infrastructure, once built to move cash crops from the hinterlands to the coast for export, has long since crumbled. Today, we struggle to maintain roads, power plants, and rail lines that were once marvels of colonial engineering. Look at South Africa, or even Hong Kong, and you’ll see the kind of infrastructure left behind after British rule. Look at Nigeria, and all you see is neglect and decay.
Education, too, was far from perfect under colonial rule, but even our past leaders products of a colonial education far outshine today’s crop of leaders, who can barely string a coherent sentence together. Gone are the days of eloquent speeches from figures like Tafawa Balewa or Nnamdi Azikiwe, whose words once inspired a nation. Today, our leaders are content with empty promises and unsustainable goals.
Take a moment to reflect on the realities. We have no local manufacturing to speak of. We import everything, from cars to basic goods, while our roads are littered with potholes and our power grids struggle to provide even basic electricity. A governor’s convoy today is larger and more lavish than that of the Queen of England, even as the average Nigerian struggles to make ends meet.
Is this the Nigeria of our dreams? Should we be celebrating independence when the country is so far from what it should be? The truth is, Nigeria is not the success story it should be, and many of us are beginning to wonder if the British had stayed longer, perhaps we would have been better off.
Look at South Africa, a country that was under colonial rule for centuries, yet is now a member of the G20, with better infrastructure, education, and healthcare than Nigeria. Compare that to Nigeria’s infrastructure, where we rebase our economy to claim the title of Africa’s largest economy, even though our per capita income is far from impressive.
When we look back on the promises made by our leaders Obasanjo, Yaradua, Jonathan about Nigeria becoming a global powerhouse, they ring hollow. These promises were never followed by action. While countries like China made plans and worked diligently to achieve their goals, we continue to live in a state of constant hope and disappointment.
The time for false narratives is over. Nigeria is not great, and if we continue to delude ourselves, we risk sinking further into despair. It is time for leaders who acknowledge our failures, face the harsh truths, and allow us to find a way forward. Only when we admit the severity of our situation can we begin to chart a true course for recovery.
I refuse to celebrate failure. The reality is that Nigeria is one of the most difficult, expensive, and dangerous places to live. We are a country with too many broken promises and too many unfulfilled potentials. Until we recognize and address the truth, we will continue to be trapped in this cycle of mediocrity, lamenting what could have been, rather than working toward what can be.
Stephanie Sewuese Shaakaa
University of Agriculture Makurdi Benue state.
shaakaastephanie@yahoo.com
