59 YEARS AFTER: AGING AND FAILING YET INDEPENDENT?
Permit me to congratulate Nigerians on their false assumptions of being independent, while failing forward from one generation to another with false expectations of hope hinged on ignorance.
To understand Independence you’ll need to find out what Dependence is.
Dependence
/dɪˈpɛnd(ə)ns/
A noun which means the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else.
“Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods”.
It could also mean reliance on someone or something for financial support.
“the dependence of our country on loans and grant funds for survival”
Synonyms of dependence includes, helplessness and weakness
On the other hand, independence means the opposite of dependence. Its a fact or state of being without dependence on any external factor for existence.
Nigeria got what we call independence from Britain but has largely not understood what it took and celebrates. Prior to independence, what Britain had absolute control over was the administration and rule of this protectorate it called Nigeria. It never claimed the land nor the people but simply took authority to #rule them from its Imperial Queen.
Prior to 1960, we were more independent (with respect to ownership of our lands and properties) and the wealth of the nation was largely seen from the perspective of how wealthy the people were. So, what our fathers demanded for and got from Britain, was a ceding of the right of government to the locals and since 1960, we have been celebrating the falsehood of being without dependence.
While I agree that we are technically a self-ruled nation, I do also disagree on the basis of classification of Nigeria as being without dependence.
In governance of this nation, our yearly budget cannot be funded exclusively without calculating how much we would be able to borrow and get as grants. In infrastructure development, our country depends on foreign resources. In 59 years, we have outsourced everything, including quality education, healthcare and #feeding the nation.
How can a dependently dependent (pardon my repetition) nation without the capacity to survive without external support, continue to declare an annual celebration that it can not even fund?
So, in essence where is this Independence we are celebrating?
Zadok Akintoye
