EDITORIAL: Nigeria at 65: Still Stumbling, Still Dreaming
Sixty-five years after independence, Nigeria’s story remains one of paradox, great promise shackled by chronic underachievement. A nation blessed with immense natural and human resources still wrestles with challenges that countries with far fewer advantages have long overcome. At this milestone, sober reflection, not hollow celebration, should dominate the discourse.
The problems are neither new nor hidden. Insecurity continues to torment citizens, from insurgency in the Northeast to banditry and kidnapping in the Northwest and across the country.
Governance has been weakened by fragile institutions, endemic corruption, and a political culture that prioritizes patronage over service.
The economy, despite ongoing tax and fiscal reforms, staggers under inflation, mass unemployment, and crippling dependence on oil revenues. Infrastructure remains grossly inadequate, while epileptic power supply stifles productivity and deters investment.
Healthcare is failing, pushing the political class to hospitals abroad, while education, agriculture, and small-scale industries, natural drivers of development, remain chronically underfunded.
Yet, amid the gloom, there are faint glimmers of progress. The recent push for economic and tax reforms shows political will to steer the nation toward fiscal responsibility. But this pp agriculture, and fix structural weaknesses that continue to keep Nigeria on its knees.
What Nigeria needs at 65 is not another strongman but strong institutions. The Independent National Electoral Commission must rise to the task of conducting credible elections that restore public trust, reduce voter apathy, and stem the flood of post-election litigations. The judiciary, too, must urgently redeem itself from the widespread perception that justice is for sale, particularly in electoral disputes. A democracy cannot thrive when courts are seen as auction houses.
Political parties must also undergo rebirth. They cannot remain meal tickets for opportunists, they must evolve into genuine platforms of ideology, vision, and service. Until this happens, Nigeria’s politics will remain a recycling of mediocrity.
The lessons are glaring. Countries such as Singapore and Malaysia, which gained independence around the same period, have since transformed into global success stories through visionary leadership, sound policies, and the courage to build lasting institutions. Nigeria’s contrast with them is a painful reminder of lost time and squandered opportunities.
At 65, Nigeria cannot continue to drift. The road has been long and the dream elusive, but it is not too late to reset. With transparent elections, reliable power supply, impartial justice, strong institutions, and courageous leadership, the nation can still reclaim its promise.
The next few years must not mirror the wasted decades behind. They must be years of genuine renewal, progress, and dignity for all Nigerians. Anything less would be a betrayal of history and of generations yet unborn.
