Nigeria at 64: Our Journey of Regrets, Hope

Victor Umeh

The journey of Nigeria as an Independent nation since 1960 is one of many twists, some for which we are proud and happy, and for some also, we are not so proud and very regretful.

Nigeria is a great nation endowed with potential, both natural and human resources to thrive and compete favorably with other great nations of the world.

A nation in which great men and women have risen to global recognitions through their ingenuity and outstanding records yet, there seems to be a lacuna within, due to our inability to properly harness the wonderful potential amongst the citizens. A nation where the founding fathers in full patriotism and love for the nation sacrificed tremendously, some with their blood, in the hope of building a truly united, peaceful and progressive nation where everyone shall be happy and accommodated, irrespective of tribe, ethnic nationality or religious separations.

At 64 years, Nigeria with all its achievements and breakthroughs is still grappling with humongous challenges ranging from asymmetric economic policies that have made the nation’s economic breakthrough almost unrealisable; insecurity and corruption.

However, the inability of the leaders of the government to truly implement governance devoid of all forms of bias and/or dichotomy has also slowed down our collective growth as a nation. Good to note, the improved attention being given to the call for constitutional reforms in the country.

As members of the 10th Senate, in a time when the country is experiencing the painful bites of a failing economy and rising Insecurity, especially with the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the responsibility of the lawmaker is to continue to advocate for ways of ameliorating and ensuring that due diligence is done in the formulation and implementation of government policies.

I will continue to do my utmost best in representing the interests of my people in Anambra Central and Nigerians in general especially in areas of enhancing constitutional reforms and providing cum attracting necessary developmental projects and programmes that will benefit the citizens through poverty alleviation and human capacity development and empowerment

I am optimistic that with the various reform policies and programmes of the present administration, we are working very hard towards unlocking the full potentials of our nation to achieve a great Nigeria of the dreams of our founding fathers.

I commend President Tinubu for his commitment to empowering the third tier of the government which is the local government, to ensure that the impacts of government are felt at the grassroots.

I want to urge the state governments and governors to avoid sabotaging this noble move, by ensuring that the local governments are democratically constituted through lawful, transparent, and credible elections. I urge everybody not to lose hope in the struggle for achieving a greater Nigeria no matter how difficult it may seem.

Let us join hands and be willing to make sacrifices in building a better society that we and generations after us shall be proud to call home. I sympathise with all Nigerians over the soaring costs of living occasioned by the ongoing economic reforms aimed at repositioning the country.

I urge the federal government to do everything humanly possible to bring our refineries back to life. Finally, I call for peace and continued cooperation of the citizens while the government continues to navigate our country out of our current challenges. I heartily wish the good people of Anambra Central and Nigerians generally, a Happy Independence Day!

May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Umeh, the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District at 10th National Assembly, writes from Abuja