Saturday Southerner 

Another View 

Last Thursday, October 01, 2026, Nigeria, the largest black nation in the world marked her 66 years as an independent country, free from colonial rule.

On October 01, 1960, at the popular Race Course, later renamed Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos Island, Lagos, the Union Jack flag of the British colonial masters was lowered and replaced with the now Green-White-Green flag representing Nigeria’s official colour that, we have maintained till date.

We have had our political turmoils, social and economic challenges but, we are still ‘fumbling and wobbling’ to stay glued as a country.

Nigeria fought a regrettable civil war against Biafra, made up of the core Igbo states versus the rest of Nigeria between 1967 – 1970. Though, the war energized by foreign powers’ interference, we lost many of our compatriots, young and old. The country has not fully recovered from that avoidable and costly mistake of our leaders.

Coups and counter-coups have taken place with no headway. Civilian leaderships of different political parties have occupied the Presidency yet, no greatness achieved. But, it has been financial recklessness, andeconomic woes, social backwardness and political thievery everywhere you turn to.

No politician who has served any state or centre can win an international award for credibility or integrity. The country is rather disgracefully referred to as a “fantastically corrupt country.”

While countries that were also colonized and are now Independent almost the same time with Nigeria, such as, Singapore, Malaysia and others are today envies of the most developed countries, Nigeria is described as one of the most corrupt and backward countries in the world.

Our political class and citizens are looked at scornfully by the outside world because of the bad examplanary leadership exhibited over the years while in office.

There’s no natural or human resources that are not available in Nigeria. The country is so blessed with a fertile soil, oil in immense proportion, solid minerals found in quantum. There is virtually no state without abundant natural and human resources.

Nigeria is so blessed beyond imagination but the absence of leaders is the country’s bane of problem.

As amplified by the late literary giant and award winning author, Prof. Chinua Achebe, “the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” Many in Nigeria and world over recognize the above statement as the extract in The Trouble With Nigeria indicates.

Prof. Achebe emphasized that, “there is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or air or anything else.” “The Nigerian problem” he continued “is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership.”

One wonders why 66 years after independence, with all our acquired education, exposure, regrettably our attitude, character, behaviour, morals appear mundane and irrational. The average Nigerian’s attitude is centred around ‘me, myself and I.’ He/she has no conscience to think of his or her neighbour’s interest.

For 66 years, the electricity industry nosedived. No wonder we are called a ‘generator country’, painful but it is a fact. Nigeria is a country that no household, small, medium or large business industry without a generator set to power its establishment.

Darkness has taken over the landscape of Nigeria. Our seat of power, Aso Rock is powered by generators and very recently a solar system installation was approved. Nigerians pay more for darkness than for light in 2026, 66 years after independence in 1960.

There is no part of the country or home with a better electricity supply, it is the same story except the ones who have made private arrangements for themselves.

How can a country as rich as Nigeria not successfully battle her perennial power supply for 66 solid years to a success? Se na juju? No, it’s not, it is corruption and lack of patriotism among our leaders.

For 66 years, Nigeria has rehabilitated same roads over and over: Lagos – Ibadan, Lagos – Ijebu-Ode – Ore – Benin, Ibadan -Ilesa – Akure, Benin – Ekpoma, Onitsha – Enugu, Onitsha – Owerri – Umuahia, Onitsha – Ihiala – Mbano – Umuahia, Umuahia – Ikot-Ekpene, Aba – Ikot-Ekpene, Keffi – Kuje, Enugu -Otukpa, Akure – Obajana roads and many others. How many more years will it take for the country to finish rehabilitating, repairing, remodelling these roads?

How can government after government for 66 years continue to make repairs on same roads? Isn’t it shameful and proof of social backwardness?

In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, as children growing up, in elementary and secondary schools, we admired the Universities and other higher institutions of learning. We saw foreign students and teachers in those schools because of the solidity of our educational system but today, what is the story of our citadels of knowledge? It is one of sadness and disgrace.

We have frustrated, starved lecturers in our higher institutions. Lecturers who teach without modern facilities and good welfare package. The students being churned out today from our schools have diminished in quality.

A mechanical engineering lecturer cannot service his own vehicle. A political science graduate cannot analyze a political situation.

A secondary school student cannot differentiate between yam and cassava leaf. Daily these children use pen and pencil but do not understand how it was produced. How did we actually arrive here?

Governments purposely starve the education sectors of funds and allow the private schools to triumph. We now have Universities and Polytechnics without research facilities and laboratories for science and technology.

The world has entered into technology age. Nigeria is nowhere to be found. Some countries have technological villages, where youths gifted in science and hitech are assembled, trained and allowed to explore in modern technological advancement.

Nigeria has talents but the country’s leadership is more interested in amassing wealth than investing in the lives of these youth and the development of the country.

66 years after independence, we have failed to manage our only national carrier – Nigeria Airways. A once booming airline that plied international routes and dominated African airspace now sent to the archives.

The country’s pride has been destroyed. Till date every effort made to resurrect the Nigeria Airways has not yielded any fruit.

All the country’s owned refineries are dead. Same for the Steel companies where billions were buried. None of these economic interests of the country are working. Are we a cursed country?

Our elections are still a charade. The political candidates do not engage in issue-based campaigns but on primordial sentiments that do not advance our polity.

How after 66 years, the only means of campaigns for the politicians is sharing money, wrapper, bread, indomie noodle, rice, engage in abuses and attacks on opponents. Isn’t that disappointing?

While in other countries of the world, they discuss issues, foreign policies, Nigeria is still discussing bread and sardine politics, Hmmmmmm!

In Nigeria of 2026, 66 years after independence, one cannot travel round the country conveniently because of the burden of interconnectivity.

Except one is in Lagos, Onitsha or Abuja, connecting other parts of Nigeria from other states can be very difficult. No passenger can board a flight from Sokoto to Akure, Owerri to Maiduguri, Calabar to Yola, Ibadan to Kaduna, it is a difficult task.

There is also no railway line across the country, especially the South Eastern part to connect other states and transporting human and goods.

The country has been sunk into more devastating poverty, disease and squalor.

The leaders’ avarice, selfishness and unpatriotic tendencies shut the country out of world reckoning.

Nigerian leaders hardly use our hospitals simply because they are not working. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu just returned from France where it was alleged he had gone once again for medical treatment.

It is difficult for most states or federal top government officials and their family members to seek medical treatment in any hospital situated in Nigeria. The Teaching and General Hospitals in the country lack adequate medical facilities to handle patients.

Severally, patients have been diagnosed and treated wrongly leading to their early deaths or worse health situations today.

Health workers are poorly paid leading to strikes upon strikes with no government interest in resolving and improving the condition of the health sector for 66 years of self rule.

The killings in the country have become an international embarrassment. The ragtag terrorists, bandits, insurgents and other armed groups have for more than ten years devastated the country. These bandits have really engaged our military with strong firepower.

It is not because our military cannot conveniently wipe away these vandals from our territory. It is majorly because of our leaders religious, political and other insidious sentiments and loyalties which have betrayed our national interests. The country is not united to decimate these insurgents once and for all.

Why has the Nigerian military failed woefullto dislodge these armed groups remains a mystery to the world. These criminal elements have killed thousands of people, destroyed several homes and businesses, distabilized the lives of citizens with governments and security agencies not doing enough to engage them.

Meanwhile, other African countries who had similar attacks from terrorists and insurgents had completely wiped away the vampires. Nigeria with all its military and para-military forces, financial powers is negotiating with insurgents. What a contradiction.

Corruption is synonymous with politicians in Nigeria. Perhaps, no Nigerian politician living or dead can pass the integrity test. Every government in Nigeria has fought corruption through one agency or the other.

There are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission, ICPC, both specialized in dealing with corruption cases yet, the stealing in government offices knows no bounds.

No government has shown any seriousness in the fight against corruption since 1960 and that has given government officials in the states and at the centre the impetus to commit all forms of unimaginable heist.

We need a new leadership system that can change the country so that there can be progress because the current leadership has failed Nigerians.