By Obadiah Mailafia

I SPENT my Independence Day Anniversary quietly in our federal capital of Abuja.  The city wore a rather world-weary, mournful look.  The address by President Muhammadu Buhari, was, in my view, appropriately solemn. He struck the right note in calling for calm amidst the prevailing distemper.

The media were nonetheless full of lamentations. Many bemoan the claim that we are a ‘failed state’ at 57. They point to the violent atrocities of Boko Haram; rampaging herdsmen militias; the parlous state of our infrastructures; the teeming millions of our desperate, impoverished peoples; the collapsing naira; the rising army of angry, unemployed youths; and the general atmosphere of hopelessness and anomie. And we are more divided than ever. We have become like ships that pass each other by night in the lonely expanse of a dark, oceanic night.

Our international image is in tatters. We are reputed to be among the most corrupt, most dysfunctional nations of the world. We have won the dubious price of being among the worst nations in terms of road casualties, child and maternal mortalities, violent crime, kidnapping, cultism, child rapes and ritual killing.

Meanwhile our ruling elites are set in their ways, in the manner of the feudal Bourbons of France, having learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. Many of our alienated youths have are finding succour in the English Premier, the Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga. Most would emigrate at the slightest opportunity.

Most alarmingly, our young children believe we have no future as a country. A leading national daily recently conducted an interview among young children from ages 6 to 12. They were asked where they would like to live when they grow up. More than 90% responded that they would like to live in the United States, Britain, Canada or Europe. They point to the violence in our country, the insecurity and lawlessness and the lack of basic infrastructures as reasons why they would not envisage a future in the country of their birth. If our impressionable young people already believe they have no future in this country, then, we are, of all men, most to be pitied.

In spite of these woes, I believe we still have something to celebrate. My optimism is not delusional; it is anchored in my conviction about the innate goodness of the Nigerian people. We are the Land of Hope and Glory. I have always insisted that God doesn’t make mistakes. He did not make a mistake in cobbling together such a wild cacophony of tongues and tribes into one country. The mission of our generation is to make Nigeria work.

I am persuaded that Nigeria has a manifest destiny among the nations. We are the custodians of the African Standard of Civilisation. Without our existence, Africa will return to its millennial servitude. We are the praetors and watchmen that prevent our glorious continent from being re-colonised by our former Roman conquerors. Our continent has more than 50% of the world’s strategic minerals: gold, diamonds, copper, zinc, iron ore, lead, nickel, platinum, titanium, lithium, cobalt, manganese bauxite, uranium and rare earths. In present value terms, these assets outstrip the combined GDP of North America and the EU.

In the emerging global order, there will be an intensified competition for access to these strategic minerals. The world powers believe we Africans are nothing but tenants presiding over a patrimony that is theirs by right. Nigeria’s vocation is to lead a united Africa with a robust security architecture that will shield our beloved continent from re-colonisation.

Our national failings are glaring, but we also have reason to be grateful at 57.

First, our survival as a country has been a miracle worth celebrating. We Nigerians have been adept at tempting fate. We have on several occasions driven our ship of state to the precipice — Niagara Falls of history — only to beat a hasty retreat. That suicidal tendency can be traumatic in itself. But we have survived, to the astonishment of friends and foes alike. Our very survival gives us reason for hope.

Secondly, we have not done too badly in terms of economic development. At independence in 1960, we were far down on the league of prosperous African nations, behind South Africa, Rhodesia (as it then was), Egypt and Algeria. Today, we are the leading economy on the continent, with the prospects of becoming a trillion dollar economy within a decade. If we could exercise bold leadership in removing a few binding structural constraints – in terms of energy, infrastructures and institutional gridlock – we would unleash growth that will astonish the world.

We can also celebrate the fact that we are a relatively food-secure nation. We have never ever experienced the harrowing humanitarian catastrophe of famine that has afflicted many of our neighbours. True, there has been the ogre of hunger, with evidence of widespread malnutrition. But famine has never been the lot of our people. Given current trends in agricultural productivity, we are well on our way to being self-sufficient in rice, with prospects of becoming a major agricultural exporter.

Thirdly, Nigeria has been a force for good throughout our continent. For decades we held the Chair of the Frontline States in the United Nations. Without our efforts and sacrifices, the liberation of Southern Africa would have taken much longer. We sacrificed the blood of thousands of our brave soldiers as well as billions of dollars to restore peace in war-torn Sierra Leone and Liberia. ECOWAS is considered the most successful regional economic community in the developing world, thanks to our leadership and sacrifices.

Finally, there is the fact of the indomitable spirit of the Nigerian people. Our people have been oppressed, brutalised and traumatised by war, violence and widespread insecurity. And yet, nobody beats us in the can-do spirit. Our spirits are broken but not defeated. Our music, our films and our academic exploits in the world’s greatest academies speak of a people of uncommon genius, resilience, energy and creativity.

The Nigerian people crave for leadership that can take our country to the next level in terms of excellence. We have the wherewithal to rival Germany in industry and technological prowess. We have a rendezvous with history. And it will be a history of grandeur. What we need are servant leaders who can bring our people together, inspire them to higher national purpose and birth a New Nigeria that will be the guardian of Africa’s honour – a beacon unto the nations.