NIGERIA AT 60
It's October 1, 2020, that's exactly 60 years since we gained our independence. I look around and see people celebrating our independence, and this got me thinking, "what exactly are we celebrating?"
The Nigerian armed forces has been compromised as corruption has creeped into it. Do you remember the case of the kidnapped Chibok girls? We were counting numbers upward, the number of days they were kidnapped rather than countdown to the day they will be released. Campaigns and rallies were made, they went on road match, protesting "Bring Back Our Girls". What about the Boko Haram insurgency? They are still active. Maybe I'm taking things too far, let's speak of the ones around us. Bribery has become a norm, it's the sure way out of almost all crimes and the way in to problems with men in uniform. What can I say, they are not paid diligently. And to the few impartial and diligent ones, they are hindered by limited resources needful for a great service. Where they have to pay for their uniforms and and buy their gadgets and cannot be seen in a crime scene as they lack good means of transportation. You know it's true.
Public schools are so under-cared for, with an inconducive environment for learning. The classes are populated and labs are not well equipped. Teachers are not always around for their classes, and when they are, we don’t really learn much. I can say for a fact that we have never completed the scheme of work, for any term or any class. I still remember always having free periods during two of my classes. I didn’t study Physics for a term and I don’t even know the Computer Studies teacher. I ended up writing Catering for WAEC, subject I never offered. And how I can’t blame them? Who works efficiently when you’ve been owed for 6 months consecutively.
How can we celebrate independence when ASUU is currently on strike, and I'm not saying it's bad; but do you know what is worse? It's not the first time. It's impossible for students in tertiary institutions under ASUU to finish a program without having a taste of strike. A program of 4 years will be done in 5 years without the student having a carry-over. The tertiary institutions has all of the problems of the public school except they are much worse. A room of 200 person capacity filled with more than 400 students, that is even with students bunking classes. Then we see courses like architecture and engineering that require a lot of equipment lacking them, how are they going to be taught thoroughly?
What happens when we are out of the university? Literally nothing. A country where the youths are not put into consideration, still they shout "leaders of tomorrow", what leaders? The headline reads, "The Labour Market is full", it's not surprising as the labour market has been reduced to socially accepted professions. They have made a box so small, we can only squeeze ourselves in, so if you're not a Doctor, Lawyer, Banker or an Engineer, you're not socially accepted. Our institutions has been limited to teach rules and doctrines, leaving no place for creativity. Doubt it? How many schools of arts do we have in Nigeria? How many competitions are set to award creativity? How many reality shows portray arts and innovations? We see that unemployment rate is on the increase, it's obvious as they have made jobs that fits into their "socially accepted professions" leaving those that don't fall into this category unemployed. Sad.
Do you know the worse issue we face? Ourselves. I have been complaining of the deeds of society when society is us. We have become enemies of each other, not wanting to see other progress or get better. We think only of or for ourselves and our families. We discriminate and make stupid standards of beauty, intelligence, love and success. We have narrowed our thinking and become shallow, so shallow that dreams are put aside and ignored because we have bought their lies and left to doubt ourselves. We know ourselves better than anyone else and yet we still let others view of us to cloud our thoughts and killed our esteem. And that's why we have become haters, thieves, tribalist, racist, murderers and those who escape murder are guilty of suicide, sometimes taking others with them. I wish I was lying about all of these, but it's true.
Sincerely, I think it a disgrace that we are turning 60 with this much issues, I mean it's not worth celebrating, it worth shedding tears for. Let's face it, we are not progressing, just going in circles. The economy is bad, education wack, security compromised and corruption on the rise. I'm not here to speak bad about Nigeria, rather to speak out what is true, the rising suicide rates backs me up. We can't correct something if we don't believe it's wrong, and we can't change something to be good if we don't accept that the former is bad. Stop pretending that everything is fine because it's not and let's stop acting like things are going to get better, it won't, not yet. Not till we start changing our mindset, trying to put us in a category, limiting ourselves with boundaries that are not even there. Not till the education section tilt their focus from the so called "normal" to embracing creativity and talents. Not till the government start being intentional about the economy and stop moving with the flow. Not until we fight for our rights and choose who we want to lead us rather than allowing them imposed on us a leader, and keep quiet. Let's not settle for little and be okay with the suffering because it's not okay. And until we start accepting the truth, we can't do anything about it.
This is a wake up call to Nigerians, let's create a country we are proud to call our own so next year when we celebrate independence, it will be worth celebrating.
Proudly Nigerian.
