When I was younger Independence Day in Nigeria was a true celebration. I remember going outside then to see children marching in their green and white uniforms, raising their flags high and that sense of pride that we are Nigerians. You would hear drums beating, see people wearing their best traditional clothes in the national colors and there was this excitement that comes with the day.
But now? Everything has changed. People see Independence Day as just another public holiday. Most people do not even wants to hear the phrase "Happy Independence" anymore. People would rather hiss and say, "What has Nigeria done for me?" - seriously, I cannot count how many times I've heard this particular phrase today. This morning, I sent my boss a Happy Independence and Happy New Month text, and that simple greeting turned into a serious conversation about what Nigeria has achieved in sixty-five years.
My boss didn't hold back. He was set on the fact that Nigeria has achieved nothing but corruption, hardships, oppression etc. He even joked that he would throw my Happy Independence greeting away and only accept the Happy New Month. His words hit me, not because I fully agree but because I understood where they were coming from. It's true - our country has gone through so many struggles. We are rich in culture, rich in natural resources and rich in talented people, yet things like corruption continues to hold us back. The gap between leaders and citizens keeps growing. People graduate with dreams in their heart but no opportunities waiting for them. Sometimes it feels like the only thing Nigeria teaches us is how to survive no matter tha circumstance.
Still, as we talked, I found myself thinking: is it really fair to say Nigeria has achieved nothing? Maybe not as much as we should have, yes, but nothing at all? Come on. Look at our culture, still alive in our food, our languages and our dressing. Look at our music and art, Afrobeats is everywhere in the world right now and Nigerian writers are shaping conversations across continents like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and many others. Even in sports, we've had Nigerians lifting our flags high in football, athletics and more. And when it comes to resilience, I don't think there's any people as naturally hopeful as Nigerians, lol.
Image is my screenshot
I understand why people feel and think the same way my boss does. If you should look around, it's not easy to see what we are celebrating. The roads are still bad, light is still not steady, prices of things keep going up and people are still struggling to find jobs. Independence Day now reminds many people of what we don't have, instead of happiness. I think that is why the excitement is gone and most people don't bother about it anymore.
At the end of our talk, I still told my Boss "Happy Independence" again. It's not because I'm blind to the problems he mentioned, but because, I don't really think celebrating Independence is us saying Nigeria is perfect or okay as it is. But rather It is about remembering the sacrifice of those who fought for our freedom and holding on to hope that things can still change. Because if we really do throw away Independence completely, then what do we have left?
Happy Independence Day, Nigeria. Happy New Month too 🇳🇬 ❤️