Florish Charles
By Flourish Charles
Sixty-three years of defending her unity and upholding her honour and glory. 63 years of freedom and now the world expects us to roll out scrolls filled with trophies from all the battles we have fought and won. 63 years of being the pride of Africa. 63 years of toil, sacrifices, and dedication, years of tilting on the scale of abundance and lack.
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Sixty-three years after our educational sector has continued to be one of the most neglected sectors of the economy. An educational system, which has become popular for maintaining its slow but steady fall from grace; a fall that has crippled nearly all the levels of education; from the tertiary institutions down to the nursery and primary levels. Federal universities that were regarded as the hope of the common man have now become a luxury that many can no longer afford with the continuous hike in tuition fees and the overall inflation that has swept through the entire country.
Sixty-three years later over 20 million children under schooling age are roaming the streets without education and we wonder why there is a steady increase in juvenile crime rate.
Sixty-three years since we gained freedom from the shackles of our colonial masters, and yet we find ourselves enslaved again by the greed of our brothers and sisters.
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Sixty-three years and we do not dare boast of a steady power supply. 63 years and the Niger Delta on whose soil we found our liquid gold remains on the brink of ruin. 63 years of being one of the top 10 exporters of fuel and yet we have no working refinery.
Nigeria my beloved country endowed with natural resources yet, many workers return home at the end of every month with salaries that do not amount to the national minimum wage.
Regardless, I still believe in my country Nigeria. I still believe that the seed of patriotism will yield her increase in due season. I believe that the land that our fathers fought tirelessly for is close to redemption, where our ethnic differences become our strength and not our fatal flaw.
Happy Independence Day Nigeria.
