Nigeria attained
freedom as an independent nation from the colonial administration of Britain 53 years ago. Between 1960 and 1999 when the present structure of governance emerged, Nigeria had undergone several ordeals in terms of tyrannical, dictatorial, oppressive and suppressive systems of government particularly with the military juntas.
Far back in May 1967, when the first 12 states were created out of the four regions of Nigeria by the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon, there was relative peace, harmony, understanding, among the various ethnic groups although there was minimal fracas which culminated in civil disorder in Nigeria from mid-1967 to January 1970. This episode became an eye opener to the entire citizenry of Nigeria.
However, it is clear that despite our independence, the issue of terrorism and insecurity has confirmed to plague Nigeria. This position was compounded by the annulment of the  freest and fairest presidential elections conducted on June 12, 1993 by the IBB regime without due apology to Nigerians, until 17 years after, in 2010.
Then, in November 1993, General Sani Abacha seized power from the interim National Government (ING) under the leadership of Chief  Ernest Shonekan and continued the bloody rule from where his mentor, IBB had stopped. Unfortunately, Abacha’s bloody regime ended on June 8, 1998.
It is however gratifying that the yearnings of Nigerians for a democracy came to fulfillment through the instrumentality of the erstwhile Military Head of State; General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) on May 29, 1999 when he solemnly and honourably handed over the torch of leadership to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was military Head of State between 1976-1979, hence, the rebirth of democracy in Nigeria.
But the problem is that since the past 14 years, our democracy could be described as modern day colonialism. This is because between the period under review, there has been a lot of security challenges of different shades that have spread its wings over the citizenry.
It is however regrettable that from 2011 when Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was pronounced the substantive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after the unfortunate demise of his predecessor, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, some political stalwarts have ensured that they made Dr. Jonathan’s administration difficult. This is clear with the emergence of an Islamic anti-social and terrific body known as Boko Haram which suddenly surfaced and has kept the country partially ungovernable and in a tottering situation. Without doubt, innocent souls have been wasted in their numbers as Christian groups became the main target of attack at the northern enclaves. Although in the Niger Delta region, the Boko Haram insurgency is unknown, the area is infested with armed robbery, piracy, kidnapping and human trafficking activities which also spell insecurity in the area.
The matter is not helped by the presence of security agents some of whom even terroise the entire citizenry. They are likened to the Biblical injunction that “they come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves”.
For instance, in Rivers State and within the metropolitan city of Port Harcourt, hardly do people move freely especially motorists, without being embarrassed by a member of one uniformed agency or the other, violating the ethos of a democratic system of governance whereby all citizens are stakeholders. To me, their action is perceived as internal terrorism and modern colonialism even in this democratic dispensation.
There is a plethora of law-enforcement agents in different uniforms, and touts that specalise in extorting money indiscriminately from citizens through threats from commercial and private road users over infinitesimal and/or unfounded crime(s), thus, foisting traffic jams and disorder on the highways as well as causing hike in transport fares by commercial drivers due to the “roger” syndrome in the system. It is unfortunate that the police sometimes could not render adequate help to the oppressed and assaulted but rather assist to exacerbate the ugly situation. It is thus necessary for law-enforcement agents to change their attitude to the citizenry in order to rekindle the hope of the common citizen on the law enforcers.
It is wrong that citizens should move in fear of their law enforcement agents.
The rate of inhuman assault, terrorism and modern colonialism is alarming in a supposedly democratic system that the entire citizenry had clamoured for decades. There should be no doubt in the minds of the people, that democratic administration or democracy is the best form of government among others and should not be a curse on the people.
On the whole, Nigerians should take a bold step to make a change and pull resources together and move along with reformation agenda of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The fact that Nigeria  attained sovereign status from the colonial masters 53 years ago without adequate change in socio-economic, political, cultural, religious, psychological, mental and moral behaviour should bother the citizenry and the government to make necessary changes.
What makes Nigeria a giant of Africa is not necessarily her natural and geographical size and location, but Nigerians in their exhibition of good governance and high morality both internally and externally. When all citizens of Nigeria both at home and in the Diaspora could see themselves as a mirror by which the integrity of Nigeria is determined, then, the need for a change of attitude cannot be overemphasised.
As such, people should endeavour to avoid painting Nigeria with the picture of primitivity and uncivilisation in a modern and enlightened era. Therefore, nobody should constitute a bundle of nuisance in the society, hence, the eradication of mass illiteracy from 2015 and beyond as propounded in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is paramount.
Ominyanwa resides in Port Harcourt