News

Nigeria @65: A Long Walk To Freedom

Published

3 months ago

October 1, 2025

By Israel Adebiyi

Sixty-five years. That is how long Nigeria has walked as an independent nation, free from the shackles of colonial rule. On October 1st, 1960, we hoisted our green-white-green flag in jubilant defiance of empire, believing freedom had come at last. We called it independence, and it was. But as we mark our 65th year, we must ask: have we truly been free? Or are we still trapped in cycles of dependence, disillusion, and deferred dreams?

True freedom is not merely the absence of foreign rulers; it is the presence of dignity, progress, justice, and opportunity for all citizens. By this measure, our long walk to freedom remains unfinished.

Nigeria began her independence journey shoulder-to-shoulder with countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea. But while they transformed into economic giants and innovation hubs, we stumbled, burdened by corruption, bad governance, and short-sighted leadership. In the 1970s, one U.S. dollar exchanged for less than one naira; today, it takes over ₦1,500 to buy that same dollar. Once, our groundnut pyramids, cocoa farms, and palm oil defined agricultural wealth; today, we import even the most basic food items.

Education was once our ladder to dignity. In the 1960s and 70s, Nigerian universities ranked among the best in Africa, drawing scholars from across the continent. Today, classrooms leak, teachers strike endlessly, and children sit under trees to learn. With over 20 million out-of-school children, Nigeria carries the shameful crown of the world’s highest. These are not mere numbers—they are stolen futures. From Yobe to Zamfara, from Benue to Lagos, the dream of literacy is drowned in poverty and neglect.

Songs like Eko Dara Pupo -“Education is very good” -once carried our hope. But what hope do children chant today, when graduates roam the streets jobless and when academic excellence is rewarded with crumbs? We claim education is the foundation of progress, yet treat it as an afterthought. This explains the erroneously conclusion that education is a scam.

Independence ought to guarantee safety, yet Nigerians live under constant siege. Bandits terrorize the North-West, Boko Haram still prowls the North-East, farmers and herders clash in the Middle Belt, kidnappers prowl highways, and cultists haunt urban streets. Nowhere feels truly safe. Insecurity has displaced millions, destroyed farmlands, and fueled poverty.

What is freedom if children cannot sleep in peace, if farmers cannot till their soil, if investors cannot trust our stability? Freedom without security is bondage by another name.

At independence, Nigeria dreamed of industrial glory. Assembly plants in Kaduna, Enugu, and Lagos produced vehicles and machinery. Textile factories in Kano and Kaduna hummed with activity, clothing millions and providing jobs. Tire factories like Dunlop and Michelin once anchored our industrial drive. Today, those factories are ghosts. We import toothpicks, pencils, and even fuel, though we sit on oceans of crude oil.

While Asian tigers industrialized and built global brands, we clung to crude oil like a curse. Instead of diversifying, we fed corruption, squandered revenues, and left future generations to inherit dependence.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:[OPINION] Breaking Bad: The Nigerian Episode

A nation’s greatness rests on its roads, rails, and power. Yet Nigeria limps with broken infrastructure. Roads like Lagos–Benin, Abuja–Lokoja, and Enugu–Port Harcourt remain nightmares of potholes and death. Railway projects crawl at a snail’s pace, leaving us dependent on dangerous highways.

And then, electricity – the eternal shame. Despite spending over $20 billion since 1999, Nigerians still power their homes and businesses with generators, spending billions more yearly on fuel. What other evidence of dysfunction could be more glaring?

Our hospitals remain shadows of themselves. Leaders fly abroad for treatment, while ordinary Nigerians die in poorly equipped wards. Medical tourism drains over $1 billion annually. Our doctor-to-patient ratio stands at 1:4,000, far from the WHO’s recommended 1:600. Doctors strike, nurses leave for better pay abroad, and the poor are left at the mercy of fate. What freedom is this, when the nation cannot guarantee life itself?

At the heart of it all lies corruption. Transparency International consistently ranks Nigeria poorly, not out of bias but reality. Politicians live in obscene luxury while workers struggle on ₦70,000 minimum wage. Security votes vanish into private pockets. Institutions are weakened and laws bend to serve the powerful. Our democracy is too often a game of thrones, where the prize is not service but plunder.

Yet, Nigeria is not a hopeless land. We are a paradox of pain and promise. Our people shine everywhere they are given fair opportunity. Nigerian immigrants in the U.S. and U.K. rank among the most educated and accomplished. Nollywood is the world’s second-largest film industry, and Afrobeats has conquered global charts. Tech start-ups like Flutterwave, Paystack, and Andela are billion-dollar ventures. Even in adversity, Nigerians innovate, endure, and excel.

We are a nation that refuses to die.

At 65, the question is not whether Nigeria can change, it is whether Nigerians will demand change. Leadership matters, yes, but good followership is equally critical. Citizens must rise to hold leaders accountable, to resist the lure of handouts, to demand policies that prioritize education, healthcare, industrialization, and security. We cannot continue to mortgage our future for bags of rice, wads of cash, or empty promises.

Freedom must become more than a flag or anthem. It must be felt in working schools, safe streets, thriving factories, reliable electricity, accessible healthcare, and strong institutions. Until then, independence is a shell, and freedom a mirage.

Nigeria at 65 is both triumph and tragedy. We have survived civil war, dictatorship, poverty, and terror. We have endured storms that could have broken weaker nations. But survival is not enough. To truly walk in freedom, we must move beyond endurance to excellence, beyond survival to significance.

The journey is long, but the choice is ours. Shall we continue to limp in circles, or will we march with intent into the destiny our forebears dreamed of in 1960?

Nigeria is too great to be ordinary. At 65, the time has come to prove that our independence was not in vain.

Related Topics:#Tinubu Independence Day Nigeria @65

Up Next

NAFDAC Orders Removal Of 101 Products, Warns against Sale, Use

Don't Miss

Nigeria’s 65th Independence: Tinubu’s Full Speech

Comments

News

NAF Launches Attack On Terrorists In Borno

Published

15 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, operating as part of the joint task force of Operation Hadin Kai, has carried out a coordinated air interdiction at AbbagaJiri in the Timbuktu Triangle, Borno State.

According to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information of NAF, the air strikes successfully paved the way for ground troops.

He explained that the operation was based on actionable intelligence from multiple sources, which confirmed the presence of terrorists, their structures, and concealed logistics facilities in the area.

Ejodame stated that NAF air assets were deployed in integrated surveillance and precision strike roles to target identified threats.

The operation aimed to degrade terrorist capabilities, deny them sanctuary, and shape the battlefield for ground forces, all while strictly adhering to rules of engagement and protecting civilians.

He added, “The Identified terrorist structures were decisively engaged and destroyed, denying the terrorists freedom of action, while a follow-up engagement neutralised armed elements observed converging on the location.”

“Subsequent advances by ground troops into the area confirmed the effectiveness of the air strikes and validated the success of the joint air–land operation.”

Speaking on the mission, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, said, “The success of the mission reflects the NAF’s resolve to dominate the air domain in support of joint operations.”

Aneke further emphasized that the operation highlighted the service’s commitment to providing precise and decisive air power in support of ground forces.

In his words, “We will continue to deny terrorists freedom of movement, sanctuary, and logistics wherever they seek to hide. Air operations will remain relentless and intelligence-driven.”

“Our operations are carefully planned and intelligence-led, ensuring maximum effect on hostile elements while safeguarding innocent civilians.”

“The Nigerian Air Force will sustain pressure until terrorist networks are completely dismantled.”

He further noted that the operation showcased NAF’s aggressive stance, precision employment of airpower, and dedication to sustained joint operations.

Aneke added that such missions play a crucial role in enabling ground troops to maintain momentum and deliver decisive outcomes against terrorist networks threatening lives, property, and Nigeria’s national security.

News

Lagos Parks To Close For Maintenance – State Govt

Published

15 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

The Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency, LASPARK, has announced that all public parks under its management across the state will be temporarily closed for routine maintenance and upgrades.

In a statement released on January 9 and shared via its official platforms early Saturday, LASPARK said, “All parks under our management will be closed to the public from January 12 to January 31, 2026.

“This follows increased visitor activity during the recent festive season.”

The agency listed several popular recreational spots that will be affected, including “Ndubisi Kanu Park, Alausa JJT Park, Dr. Finnih Abayomi Park in Oregun, and all other LASPARK-managed parks across Lagos State.”

News

PAP Sends Additional 34 Foreign Post-graduate Scholarship Beneficiaries To UK Varsities

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has deployed an additional 34 foreign post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries to various universities in the United Kingdom for the 2025-2026 academic year.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Warri by Mr Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to Dr. Dennis Otuaro, the Administrator, PAP.

According to the statement, the scholars’ programmes include data science, fintech analytics, cyber security, international energy law and policy, construction project management, public health, agri-food technology, electrical and petroleum engineering, among others.

The statement added that more foreign post-graduate scholars will be sent to UK universities in the current academic session.

“In December 2025, nine students, who were the first set of offshore post-graduate scholarship developments by the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024-2025 academic year, graduated from their various programmes in UK universities.

“Otuaro has deployed over 9000 students to universities within and outside Nigeria for different industry-relevant programmes since he assumed office in March 2024,” the statement partly reads.

Speaking at the pre-departure orientation programme for the scholars at the PAP headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday, Otuaro said that the large-scale deployment was aimed at making the Niger Delta a knowledge-driven region.

He said that his leadership reinvigorated the programme to give it a new momentum in service delivery to the people of the region based on the mandate of President Bola Tinubu.

Otuaro said, “We are sending all of you for post-graduate studies in various universities in the United Kingdom.

“The PAP now has a new momentum and direction because of the repositioning and broad reforms that we carried out in line with the mandate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.

“The objective behind the huge scholarships deployment is to ensure that we develop the needed human capital to transform the Niger Delta and generate knowledge-wealth.

“We want to develop relevant manpower in critical disciplines for our region and by extension, the country, because you are expected to contribute your quota to national development after successful graduation.”

The PAP boss, who was represented at the event by his Technical Assistant, Mr Edgar Biu, advised the scholars to study hard to achieve academic excellence in their various fields of research.

According to him, the scholars have an obligation to justify the Federal Government’s investment in their education and future.

He reiterated his warning that beneficiaries should not take for granted the opportunity to further their academic pursuits in the interest of the Niger Delta and indeed the country.

Otuaro expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his “enormous interest and support for the Programme”, particularly the approval of an upward review of the programme’s budget from N65billion to N150billion.

He also expressed gratitude to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his impeccable guidance and supervision of the programme’s initiatives.

Otuaro, therefore, cautioned the scholars to obey their host country’s laws and the rules and regulations of their various institutions, stressing that they are ambassadors of Nigeria, the Niger Delta and their communities and families.

Highpoint of the orientation programme was the presentation of laptops to the scholars to help them in their studies.