Independence Without Prosperity: The Economy’s Struggle
Sixty-five years after independence, one would expect Nigerians to be popping champagne and eating jollof without worrying if the price of rice has doubled again. Instead, the mood across the country is closer to frustration than festivity. Inflation is 33.4% (NBS, 2025), with food prices leading the misery index. Independence was meant to bring freedom from want. Yet, Nigerians now joke that “the only thing that is free is suffering.”
Pull Quote: “The problem with Nigeria is not money or resources but leadership.” – Olusegun Obasanjo
Politics and Independence: Leadership or Betrayal?
When our founding fathers fought for independence, they envisioned a land of fairness, justice, and opportunity. Today, politics has become a game of survival for the elite while the masses scramble for crumbs. We celebrate independence, but do we really have it? Are we free when leaders cross political parties like it’s a dance floor at a wedding?
Education, Security, and the Unfinished Work of Independence
What is independence when students spend more time at home due to strikes than in lecture halls? When over 20 million children (UNICEF, 2024) are out of school? What is independence when bandits roam highways, kidnappers demand ransoms on WhatsApp, and citizens sleep with one eye open? We wave flags every October 1st, but perhaps the real independence will come when Nigerians can drive from Abuja to Kaduna without fear.
The People’s Voice: What Nigerians Really Say About Independence
Visit the markets, and the story is clear. A bag of rice costs more than a minimum wage earner’s monthly salary. Transportation has become a luxury. Healthcare is a gamble. Little wonder thousands of Nigerians continue to japa, chasing opportunities abroad while their motherland decays. As one frustrated citizen said, “We don’t celebrate independence, we endure it.”
Pull Quote: “We must not celebrate independence as if survival is success.” – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Sidebar Fact: According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty, showing that independence has yet to deliver dignity.
And because Nigerians never fail to find humour in pain, one popular social media post summed it up: “Independence Day is just another public holiday to sleep off NEPA’s power failure.”
At Top Society Nigeria, we question, we challenge, and we spotlight truth. Independence should mean more than waving flags and cutting cakes. It should mean good governance, dignity, and hope.
So I ask you, dear reader: Is Nigeria truly independent, or are we living in the illusion of freedom?
Join the debate. Speak out. Demand the Nigeria we all deserve.
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What an inspiring and cathartic article!
Thank you, princess.
I hope Nigeria gets it right. 65 years is no joke at all.
We hope so,too.