In my Independence article last year, I asked Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Tafawa Balewa to weep (https://thenews-chronicle.
Sixty-four years ago, Nigeria celebrated its liberation from colonial chains, a momentous victory hard-fought by nationalists like Tafawa Balewa, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, and Anthony Enahoro. The dream they had for Nigeria was one of hope and prosperity. Enahoro’s 1953 motion for independence symbolized the collective will of a nation yearning to breathe free, and in 1960, that dream became reality. Yet, today, at 64, that dream has been shattered by the very hands meant to uphold it. Nigerians are no longer oppressed by foreign invaders; they are oppressed by their own government.
Today, President Bola Tinubu and his administration stand at the helm of a sinking ship. The promise of freedom has turned into chains of economic hardship and insecurity. Across the country, from the arid deserts of Zamfara to the mangroves of Cross River, the forests of Oyo to the busy markets of Onitsha, the outcry is deafening. Nigerians are no longer suffocating—they are drowning. Drowning in poverty, in anguish, in hopelessness. It is as if we are reliving the days of ancient Egypt, but this time, Pharaoh is no foreign despot; he is the leader we ourselves elected.
Before independence, our forefathers sought freedom from British colonialism. Today, we are seeking freedom from the government of Bola Tinubu, a regime that has inflicted untold suffering upon the very people it swore to serve. What kind of independence is this when Nigerians are being tortured not by invaders, but by their own? When leaders turn oppressors, the people must rise. This is not the Nigeria our heroes died for.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) government, led by Tinubu, has not only failed the Nigerian people but has weaponized its grip on power. The cost of living has skyrocketed under cruel policies that have drained the lifeblood from ordinary citizens. Petrol prices have soared beyond reach, inflation is at an all-time high, and basic commodities are now luxuries. Tinubu’s government has engineered an economic apocalypse, choking the poor, while a privileged few continue to thrive. How long can the people endure this?
The oppression extends beyond economics. Nigeria is under siege. Insecurity festers like a cancer—terrorists roam freely, bandits reign supreme, kidnappers rule the highways, and the government’s response is woefully inadequate. The APC has captured every sector of governance, subverting democracy to its whims. The judiciary, once the last hope of the common man, is shackled. The electoral system has been manipulated beyond recognition, leaving the Nigerian people disillusioned. Even the media, the supposed fourth estate, is being strangled into silence. Where do the people turn when every avenue of resistance has been blocked?
President Tinubu, let my people go. Let Nigerians go from the chains of your oppressive policies, from the vice grip of poverty, from the daily insecurity that stalks them. Let the judiciary breathe, let the press speak freely, let the people live with dignity. This is not governance; this is tyranny masquerading as democracy. Tinubu’s administration has failed, and if history has taught us anything, it is that no tyrant can suppress the will of the people forever. Nigerians are resilient, but they are also growing weary. How much longer can they bear the weight of this unjust rule?
The legacy of Nigeria’s independence was meant to be one of freedom, but today we are forced to ask: what are we celebrating? Is this the freedom Enahoro dreamed of? Is this the nation Awolowo envisioned? Sixty-four years after independence, we find ourselves enslaved by a government that cares little for the masses. There is no joy in Nigeria’s 64th year—only the anguish of a people desperate for liberation.
Nigerians deserve better. The Nigeria of 1960 is not the Nigeria of today, but it doesn’t have to be this way. We must fight for the Nigeria our heroes envisioned, a nation where justice, fairness, and equity are not just words in the national anthem but the lived reality of every citizen. President Tinubu, let my people go from the chains of economic hardships. Let my people go from the chains of untold suffering. Let my people go from the chains of State captors. Let my people go from the shackles of insecurity.
Let Nigeria go!
Stanley Ugagbe is a Social Commentator. He can be reached via stanleyakomeno@gmail.com
