I have been thinking all day of how best to capture my perspectives about the state of affairs in Nigeria 17 years into the only surviving period of democratic rule in Nigeria's independent history...
May 29, some 17 years ago(1999), meant the dawn of a new era for many Nigerians and Nigeria in particular; the military was gone and we hoped this time for good... One administration after another has subsequently come and gone in 4 tenures (under the same political party); all serving twice consecutively. Unfortunately, Nigerians have only began to experience a new 'delicacy', and somehow we feel like it's no different from what we have had in the past, or even worse (as some argue)... The second sentence in President Buhari's anniversary speech captures this point: "It has been a year of triumph, consolidation, pains and achievements". Although many seem to identify more with the 'pains' than the 'triumph', and even fewer are less (or not at all) concerned about the 'consolidation' and 'achievements', the reasons are, however, not far-fetched.
From reality, we observe that two sides exist to every coin; the pleasant and ugly experiences of our lives are what make the complete story of who we are, and regardless of where we are, as individuals, we are still 'changing' - our stories are still unfolding (good and bad). This may apply for Nigeria as a state as well...
We are obviously millions of miles away from where we are headed, but we are definitely not where we left off. Regardless our seeming 'weekly' troubles: terrorism, corruption, Niger-delta, and recently the fall in oil prices, we have only a few things to smiles about: Nigerians seem to have began to realize the power of the ballot, INEC is becoming truly independent (especially with the last general elections), notwithstanding the number of casualties, and we hope these trends continue.
It's exciting to think that what we face at the moment isn't the last of Nigeria's experiences or the end of her story; Nigeria indeed is 'changing', and we have a couple more ugly and definitely pleasant experiences to share... The latter will only prevail and subsist if the next 365 days are met with resolve and commitment from leadership and followership alike. Like I always say, and ending on that note:
IF THE NIGERIAN STATE IS TO SURVIVE, THOSE WHO ADVOCATE IT MUST SUBMIT TO IT, THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN IT MUST PRAY FOR IT, AND WE WHO REPRESENT IT MUST FIGHT FOR IT!
Long live Nigeria; and
Long live you and I to see her best days!
Happy Democratic Anniversary!
