Nigeria at 65: A Celebration or a Call to Conscience?

By George O. Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

“65 years after independence, Nigerians at home and abroad must ask: Are we celebrating freedom or enduring failure?”

Introduction: Between Celebration and Reflection.
On October 1st, 2025, Nigeria marked its 65th Independence Anniversary. Around the world, Nigerians unfurled the GREEN-WHITE-GREEN flag, sang the national anthem and are organizing gatherings in unity. Among the voices of commemoration was Adv. Smart I. Nwobi, President General of the Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA). In his message, he reminded Nigerians in the diaspora to remain steadfast and not relent in their daily pursuits, despite the odds.

“We Nigerians in Diaspora should not relent. We must always strive to thrive in our daily activities and endeavors,” he told SaharaWeeklyNG.com. His words, while encouraging, also raise a deeper question: what exactly are Nigerians celebrating at 65? Is it true independence, or is it endurance in the face of recurring hardship?

A History of Hope and Betrayal.
Nigeria gained independence from Britain on October 1st, 1960, amid great optimism. With vast natural resources, fertile lands and one of the largest populations in Africa, the nation was tipped to be a continental powerhouse. At independence, Nigeria’s GDP per capita was higher than South Korea’s and the country had a robust agricultural sector feeding not only its people but also serving as a major exporter of cocoa, groundnuts and palm oil.

Yet, six decades later, Nigeria tells a different story: Ranked poverty capital of the world in 2018 (Brookings Institution).

Over 133 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty as of 2023 (National Bureau of Statistics).

A youth unemployment rate surpassing 42%.

A failing public education system and chronic power shortages.

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka once observed, “Nigeria is a nation perpetually at war with itself.” At 65, the nation still struggles with LEADERSHIP FAILURES, TRIBALISM, CORRUPTION and INSECURITY.

Diaspora Voices: The Resilient Nigerians Abroad.
Adv. Smart I. Nwobi’s words highlight a critical reality, Nigeria’s diaspora community has become not just an extension but a lifeline of the nation. According to the World Bank, Nigerians abroad remitted $20.1 billion in 2022, an amount higher than Nigeria’s federal allocation to education and health combined.

Nigerians abroad excel in academia, medicine, technology and business. From Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO, to Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Nigerian-American physician who discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), to countless entrepreneurs and innovators, the diaspora consistently proves the resilience of the Nigerian spirit.

As comedian I Go Dye once joked, “Nigerians do not travel abroad, we export solutions.” While humorous, his words capture a truth: Nigerians abroad thrive despite the failures of the state.

The Homefront Crisis: Poverty Amid Plenty.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer, yet its citizens endure endless fuel scarcity. The paradox of wealth and poverty is glaring. Economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has repeatedly warned: “Nigeria is not poor because it lacks resources. Nigeria is poor because of mismanagement and corruption.”

Consider this:
Nigeria earned over $1 trillion from oil since the 1970s, yet most citizens lack access to clean water, quality healthcare and steady electricity.

Over 20 states in 2024 failed to implement the ₦70,000 minimum wage despite rising inflation and cost of living.

Universities were shut for eight months in 2022 due to strikes, while politicians continued to collect allowances running into millions of naira monthly.

Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President, noted: “Nigeria’s problem has never been resources; it has always been leadership.”

Corruption and Leadership Failure.
At 65, Nigeria remains plagued by leaders who treat governance as personal inheritance. The Senate earns some of the highest salaries in the world, yet delivers some of the lowest governance outcomes. Governors loot state coffers, while local governments have become shadows of their constitutional purpose.

Activist Omoyele Sowore bluntly stated: “Nigeria is not a poor country; it has been made poor by a criminal political class that thrives on stealing from the people.”

Meanwhile, insecurity continues to ravage the country:
Boko Haram and banditry in the North.

Kidnapping epidemics in the South.

Farmers abandoning farmlands due to fear of attacks.

As comedian Gordons once quipped, “The only place Nigerians are sure of light is inside the mortuary.” Behind the humor is a bitter truth, basic infrastructure remains a mirage.

65 Years of Missed Opportunities.
Nigeria’s trajectory since independence has been marred by missed opportunities:
Agricultural collapse – from being a food exporter in the 1960s to relying on imports worth over $10 billion annually.

Industrial failure – factories shut down due to power shortages and policy inconsistency.

Brain drain – thousands of skilled professionals leaving under the “JAPA” wave, draining the nation of doctors, engineers and academics.

Political instability – six coups between 1966 and 1999, followed by two decades of democracy riddled with electoral malpractice.

The Call of Diaspora Responsibility.
Adv. Nwobi’s call is not merely ceremonial. Nigerians abroad must ask how their success can translate into national transformation. Beyond remittances, the diaspora must:

Influence policy by engaging with home-based governance structures.

Invest responsibly in small and medium enterprises to create jobs.

Champion accountability by demanding transparency in Nigeria’s institutions.

As Nelson Mandela once said: “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.” The Nigerian diaspora has the potential to be that generation.

Nigeria at 65: Cause for Celebration or Protest?
So, is there a cause to celebrate? Yes – Nigerians have survived despite overwhelming odds. They have built communities, thrived in foreign lands and refused to surrender their identity. The Nigerian spirit remains unbroken.

Survival is not the same as success. At 65, the nation should have moved from survival to prosperity. It should have secured electricity for all, functional schools and hospitals that save lives instead of killing hope.

Chinua Achebe, Nigeria’s literary giant, once wrote: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a FAILURE of LEADERSHIP.” That remains the nation’s central truth.

Final Word: A Call to Conscience.
As Nigerians raise the flag at 65, the real question is not about the number of years since independence, but the quality of life those years have delivered.

Adv. Smart I. Nwobi’s reminder to remain steadfast is valid. Yet steadfastness must go hand in hand with accountability. Nigerians at home and abroad must demand more from their leaders, refuse to normalize corruption and insist on a country worthy of its immense potential.

The green-white-green flag is not just cloth; it is a symbol of hope. Though symbols cannot feed the hungry or protect the vulnerable. Only LEADERSHIP, VISION and UNITY can.

At 65, Nigeria must decide: will it continue as a nation of SQUANDERED WEALTH and BROKEN PROMISES or will it RISE, at last, to its rightful place as Africa’s giant?