Nigeria will celebrate its 64th Independence Anniversary tomorrow October 1, 2024.
Though the current Bola Tinubu government has declared a low-key anniversary tomorrow, to reflect the mood of the nation, Nigeria and Nigerians deserve commendations and accolades, despite the ongoing crushing challenges of terrorism, kidnapping and banditry.
There is no industry in the world that a Nigerian has not excelled in. From Medicine, Aero Space Tech, Astronomy, Nuclear Physics, Literature, Fashion, ICT, Music, Film Industry and many more, Nigeria stands tall.
Former US President Bill Clinton, on a State visit to Nigeria, with his wife, former First Lady, Hillary, and daughter, Chelsea, remarked in Abuja, about the potential in the above areas in Nigerians. This was in August 2000, during the Presidency of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The current challenges besetting Nigeria emanate from past leadership.
The current administration of Bola Tinubu, from early signs, will, all variables held constant, eventually, minimise these challenges.
For instance, terrorists have started surrendering en mass, oil production is slowly shooting up to 1.3 million barrels per day, to meet the OPEC quota of 2 million per day, oil theft is reducing, and rice and other agricultural products are locally produced. Nigeria is the current largest producer and exporter of rice in Africa. So also, it is the largest in fertiliser produce and export.
As the country celebrates 64 tomorrow, though low key, I say thumbs up to Nigeria.
In West Africa, where I’ve covered political and economic events for over 35 years, Nigeria, through ECOMOG, has demonstrated enormous service in maintaining sanity to restore democratic credentials in the countries, particularly in Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Guinea and Cote D’Ivoire.
In Sierra Leone and Liberia, where I covered the war, Nigeria lost thousands of its soldiers and poured billions of United States Dollars to champion the democratic sanity we enjoy today, with no strings attached.
As the country clocks 64 tomorrow October 1, 2024, I doff my hat to a country filled with potential. As Bill Clinton told Obasanjo in August 2000, “ Nigeria is the black USA today”.