59th Independence: Nigeria has ample reasons to celebrate-Bewaji

Sun, Sep 29, 2019
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Anniversary

A former Minority Leader,House of Representatives,Dr Wunmi Bewaji, on Sunday urged  Nigerians to renew their belief in the country and work assiduously for a better nation.

Bewaji, now Executive Director, Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He said though the country had yet to actualise all its dreams, citizens should keep believing in the nation and be optimistic about its future.

Bewaji faulted the view expressed in some quarters that Nigeria had not achieved much in the last 59 years to call for celebration.

He argued that the country had ample reasons to celebrate its 59th Independence anniversary as it had emerged from a colony in 1960 “to become one of the greatest countries in the world.“

The former minority leader also said that the country had survived a civil war(1967-1970) and other political as well as economic crises to remain united was one good reason to celebrate.

The CODER executive director, who noted that Nigerian democracy had fared well and economy expanded in the last 59 years,  urged citizens not to ruminate over post- independence losses but celebrate the many gains.

”Nigeria has ample reasons to celebrate its 59th Independence anniversary because there is this pessimism that people do not see anything good about the country.

”Some say we are going in the wrong direction and that things are better in the past than now.

“Some are even of the opinion that we were better under British rule and that we should not have obtained independence.

‘‘Now, let’s look at some of the reasons why we should celebrate: At Independence in 1960, Nigeria was a mere colony; today, we have grown from being a colony to being the largest democracy in Africa.

”Also at independence, the country had only two universities, but today, we have 43 universities, 48 state universities and 79 private universities.

”Put together, we have a total of 170 universities, and what this simply means is that, we have come a long way.

”Also Nigeria has enjoyed uninterrupted democracy for 20 years; we are the largest democracy in Africa.

”Arguably, we are the largest economy in Africa with a population of 210 million.These are things, and many more worth celebrating, despite the challenges.

”We should celebrate ourselves, our freedom and independence. We should focus on the bright side.“

Bewaji, however, urged the Federal government to address poverty and unemployment, to empower the people and promote the country’s prosperity.

According to him, the celebration of the country’s 59th Independence anniversary should be an opportunity for government and stakeholders to improve on democracy by taking steps to reform the electoral process.

He said there was also the need to encourage participation of more Nigerians in the political process to guarantee the emergence of credible leadership.

The former minority leader also called for the restructuring of the country, adding that move would catalyse the development of the federating units as well as that of the nation.

Bewaji also advocated result-oriented strategies to address insurgency and other issues concerning insecurity in the country

NAN

-Sep 29, 2019 @11:20 GMT |

 

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