On October 1st, 1960, exactly 52 years ago, Nigeria became
an independent nation-state after nearly a century of indirect and direct
British Colonial rule. We recall with uncommon pride and nostalgia that
historic moment when, the union Jack was lowered for a sovereign Nigeria’s
Green white Green national flag.

We salute the resolve, doggedness and resilience of the
founding fathers in the invaluable nationalistic quest for self-rule and congratulate
the government and people of Nigeria for defending the unity of the country in
the past 52 years.

Indeed, for a nation of more than 155,215,573 people, by
2011 estimates, more than eight major ethnic groups and over 150 others and
about 200 different languages, diverse cultures, multiplicity of religions, divergent
hopes and fears, that Nigeria still remains one indivisible political,
socio-economic and geographical entity is worth celebrating.

As we celebrate, however, it becomes even more instructive
to venture a deliberate introspection of the past, if for nothing else, to
appraise how far and well the journey of nationhood to socio-economic
independence has been. Unfortunately, such self-evaluation, without doubt,
presents a mixed bag of wasted resources, failed leadership, poor fiscal
planning, infrastructural decay, increasing insecurity, political intolerance,
ethno-religious extremism and indeed abject poverty.

From a vibrant agro-based economy in pre-independence
Nigeria, the country is today a molothic economy, dependent primarily on oil,
which earnings do not reflect the infrastructural decay, lack of employment,
fall in educational standards, poor public health institutions, death-traps
called Federal roads and indeed successive maladministration.

Since, according to the legendary English Philosopher John
Stuart Mill (1806-73) “the worth of a state, in the long run, is the worth of
the individuals composing it,” it becomes even more imperative to measure our
52 years of nationhood by the quality of life of the ordinary Nigerian to whom
nationhood ought to mean more than mere political independence. In this regard,
that more than 70 per cent of the population still live below the poverty line
cannot excite celebration of any kind.

However, poverty cannot also be a justification for the orgy
of terror-based insurgency in parts of the North, neither should it be excuse
for the rise in criminal activities across the nation, all of which tend to
raise question about the people’s readiness to defend the nation’s unity.

Unfortunately, the scenario is being exploited by selfish
politicians to preach division instead of unity, fear instead of hope and
insurgency rather than tolerance. These, inadvertently tend to give credence to
the prediction that Nigeria could breakup by 2015, using the next electoral
process as a necessary platform to affirm the dooms day.

The Tide believes in the indivisibility, unity and mutual
co-existence of the various peoples of Nigeria, just as we believe in the
possibility of the transformation of the country, in spite of the enormous
challenges we face as a nation. We note that what Nigeria is today suffering is
accumulated dividends of bad governance, unbridled corruption, planlessness on
the part of successive administrations, and deliberate disobedience of the
constitution and other laws of the land, all of which cannot be wished away
over night.

What is required therefore, is for the leadership to remain
focused, dedicated and patriotic in attempts to address, in a lasting manner,
the myriad of national problems that directly touch the ordinary Nigerian. The
citizenry on their part must develop a positive integer in their expectations
of government and not be fooled by the growing blackmail that any single
administration can, with a magic wand, wave away all their worries.

This is why The Tide thinks that attempt by sections of the
country to encumber the President Jonathan administration with the political
pressure to right all wrongs at a single go, smarks of avoidable incitement of
the citizenry against the administration. The right way forward, is not to
politicize every national concern for the sole purpose of scoring cheap
political points.

We commend the wisdom and rare display of maturity thusfar
demonstrated by President Jonathan in extricating himself from the debate over
his political future in 2015 and his commitment to putting the nation together
in spite of the unprecedented political, security and religious challenges.

The Tide is pleased with the modest success being made in
national governance especially in summoning the necessary political will to
probe the oil subsidy regime, approval of national minimum wage for the civil
servant, improved remuneration for university teachers, special pay for doctors
and health sector workers, a conducive political atmosphere for free speech,
implementation of the 35 per cent affirmative action for women integration, and
reforms in the power sector resulting in the improvement in electricity
generation into the national grid from 2,200 MW in 2010 to 4,400mw this year,
and which accounts for the relatively stable electricity supply.

It is however sad that Nigeria’s power sector still cannot
benefit sufficiently, from the massive interventionist efforts being made by
variousstates of the federation in the area of power generation on account of
constitutional inhibitions, grounded on the unitary approach to addressing
national development.

To put Nigeria on the path of unimpeded development
therefore, the National Assembly and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians must
work towards a comprehensive review of the nation’s constitution. And quickly
too.

Such reviews would be meaningless if the various sections of
the country fail to appreciate the propriety of peaceful co-existence and agree
to respect and understand that our ephemeral differences are nothing compared
to the lot that unites us as a people and resolve to live in peace and unity in
spite of our diversity. The near frequent appeal to sectionalism, tribalism,
religion, ethnicism and class often actuated by selfish political  passion and consideration can only seek to
divide us, not unite us!

This is where the National Assembly must rise up to the
challenge of not only making proactive laws, but also investing meaningfully in
regular sensitisation and education of their constituents on the merits of
Nigerian unity. To achieve that, the legislature must partner with the
executive and indeed judiciary to prevent the near frequent heating-up of the
polity by being statesmanly in exercise of their oversight functions on other
arms of government.

Rather than become a ready tool to the political opposition
to whom their seems to be no single common ground for national cohesion, the
National Assembly would do well to consider itself as an ample part of
governance at the highest level, and face, with a sense of patriotism and
statesmanship the business of making vital laws needed to guarantee the growth
and speedy development of the country.

One such is the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which
protracted delay can no longer be supported, just as the avoidable bickerings
over comprehensive review of the constitution, not just a distraction but a
costly mistake that does none any good.

As we celebrate this year’s independence anniversary,
therefore, government, the legislature, the judiciary, states and local
governments and indeed all well-meaning stakeholders of the Nigerian project,
must resolve to work in synergy towards sourcing solutions to the nation’s
challenges and not blame it all on the serving president and his team.

The Tide believes that every people deserves the leadership
they get and must work together for common good and a better future. Most
importantly, we most understand that nearly all developed nations of today,
confronted similar, if not more difficult challenges before attaining the now
enviable noble heights. With love for country, hardwork and prayers, The Tide
sees a brighter and greater Nigeria that all will be proud of. This should be
our target not despair.