(C) Felix-Uche Akam
Today ought to be an independence anniversary celebration in Nigeria, a day to tell our children how we escaped whiteman's slavery. But unfortunately, it is an annual tale of woes, of bloodshed, of self imposed bondage, of how not to seek freedom prematurely. At 57, everywhere you look, there is a failure. The country's sovereignty is more fragile than it was in 1968. It is threatened from within and without by bad governance, religious and ethnic chauvinism and elite conspiracy. Our democratic institutions suffer executive patronage; and justice in the judiciary trades on barter. Our economy is on its knees, badly weakened by ethnic conspiracy, economic pirates, corruption and general bad will to make hard choices. Our health system has completely collapsed. Despite huge budgetary allocation to State House Clinic, it cannot handle common ear infection of the president. Our public schools have rotten away as teaching positions trade on political connection. Privatisation of the sector has not yielded much as curriculum for private schools is forced to run on analogue for lack of digital grid. Every day brings more evidence that saps our hopes, heightens our fears, and supports no- future narrative. We have no houses, no roads, no bridges, no industries, neither electric nor digital grid, no jobs; above all, people can no longer eat nor find water to drink as meat and milk go only for the rich. For 57 years, Nigeria has demonstrated her penchant to remain on the wrong side of history. We breed and export all forms of criminality. We are quick to spill blood, passionate to hate fellow countrymen and too reluctant to let those we hate go. We leaders who have no skills and visions. They have hands of power but no heart of love. We have Excellencies who excruciating, honourables who horrible, and citizens who are inciting. If you are looking for a definition of a poisoned chalice, just look at what Britain gave Nigerian as an independence. We would have fared better under colonial rule. Yes, there were watermelons and cucumbers in Egypt.