A lavish 50th Independence anniversary celebration

By Ikechukwu A. Ogu

IT is almost stale news that the Federal Government has budgeted a whopping N10 billion for the celebration of Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary come October 1,  2010. Some Nigerians feel there is every reason and need for us to throw a lavish party to mark this event. They argue that “it is a big achievement for Nigeria to clock 50 years as a politically independent nation”.

Interesting! This reminds me of an amusing incident which occurred during my secondary school days. A classmate of mine wrote only his name, date and subject title as his answer to an assignment on Literature in English. When the teacher queried him, he answered thus: “Madam that is an achievement”.

Conversely, many Nigerians regard the amount budgeted for the celebration as outrageous, unnecessary and a misplacement of priority. They feel we do not have any good reason to roll-out the drums. Their opinion is that our current and past rulers should rather mark the anniversary by soul-searching and self-assessment, mindful of our dismal performance over the years as a nation.

They argue, and very rightly so, that the N10 billion will serve a worthy purpose if judiciously and conscientiously deployed to the provision of basic amenities and infrastructures which are starkly lacking in the country. I pitch my tent with this group.

Every past Nigerian ruler claims to have performed excellently well during his regime, yet we are still in the doldrums. Contrariwise, successive administrations always blame previous ones for our woes, yet no past Nigerian ruler has been convicted and jailed for mal-administration. Rather, these past rulers continue to dictate the fate of Nigeria and the pace, shape of her politics. Is this part of our reasons for having a lavish 50th independence anniversary?

Should we celebrate the fact that Nigerians have over the years received epileptic electricity supply despite the many hydro-electric power dams, gas turbines and power stations in the country and billions of naira spent in the sector? Is it justifiable that Nigeria supplies steady and reliable electricity to neighbouring countries while its citizens enjoy blackouts always? Is Nigeria’s status as the world’s largest importer of generators a thing of pride?

Are we happy that many companies hitherto located in Nigeria (and even Nigerian businessmen) have relocated to Ghana and other neighbouring countries which boast of steady electricity? Is it fair that Nigerians pay through their noses for electricity that is never supplied or consumed? In the face of these, how do we justify the planned hike in electricity tariff? Now, the same lame arguments for the hike in the prices of petroleum products are being used for the planned hike in electricity tariff. So, as with petroleum products, poor Nigerians must pay exo
rbitantly for items with which God has bountifully blessed our country?

Are we happy that potholes and gullies litter all the roads in Nigeria, continuously resulting in daily loss of uncountable human lives and damage to vehicles? What happened to the billions budgeted or realised through tollgates which were not applied towards the repair, maintenance and reconstruction of our roads? What of contractors who, though substantially or fully mobilized, abandon the road construction jobs and go away scot-free? Should we celebrate these or the planned re-introduction of tollgates in spite of our ugly experience or that new and reconstructed roads in our country have a lifespan of just few months?

Perhaps, we may brandish our collapsed educational system as part of our numerous “achievements” as a nation. Pray, are the brain drain in our academic sector; the recurring examination malpractices; the yearly churning out of half-baked graduates; the irrepressible monster of cultism; the use of nepotism, ethnicity and religion in the appointment of administrators, recruitment of lecturers and admission of students in tertiary institutions; the politicisation of boards of tertiary institutions; the commercialisation of academic certificates; and government’s apparent abandonment of public primary, secondary and tertiary schools worth celebrating?

How do we see the touted planned privatisation of public schools? Is it worth celebrating that countries with less than 10 per cent of Nigeria’s gross national product provide free education for their citizens up to university level, while “government alone cannot fund education” in Nigeria?

Mr.  Ogu, a lawyer, writes from Abuja.