Nigeria At 64: CSO Insists Nigeria Needs Revolutionary Struggles To Be Truly  Independent 

The coalition of Civil Society Organizations has insisted that Nigeria is still in bondage and needs revolutionary struggle to be truly Independent despite the pronouncement by the imperial masters 64 years ago.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that it was the conclusion of the coalition during the lecture delivered by human rights activist, Dr. Afolabi Gbajumo, as the guest speaker at the event organized by the Ambassadors For Peace And Enlightenments Foundation (AMPEF) And Know Your Rights For Justice (KnoRights) on 1st October, 2024, to  mark 64th Nigeria’s Independence day in Lagos.

The theme of the of the event was: “Is Nigeria Independence A Blessing or Curse?

Dr Gbajumo explained that the answer to the topic is Capital No! Why?

He stated: “The Britain that colonized various nationalities and amalgamated them into a rainbow union in 1914 from the Bash so-called “Niger area” which they scoped into the present name Nigeria as christened and imposed by the British imperialists. That means Nigeria is 110 years-old (since 1914, and not 64 years old as acclaimed in the real sense of elementary calculation. But being 110 years or 64 years of existence, the truth on-ground clearly confirmed why I consistently tagged that Nigeria only have Flag Independence from the ceremonial replacement of British Flag called “Union Jack” on the 1st October, 1960, and then hosting what is called Green-White-Green” fabric as Nigeria’s Flag 64 years ago.”

“Funnily, since those many decades to-date our rulers who called themselves “leaders are still busy traveling and junketing in Presidential Jets around the worlds of Britain or UK, USA, China, Japan, etc like beggars caps-in-hands begging foreign colonizers to come and solve Nigeria’s problems self-created by themselves whereas our solutions are right here at home in higena. As we speak, the Vice President Shettima only arrived yesterday from almost two weeks in  USA, where he represented his boss; President Tinubu at the 79th UNGA Program. Indisputable fact is that as much as they run helther-skelter abroad for what they called Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), no foreigner will permanently invest in an insecured Nigeria except with imperial interests to re-enslave the country and engage in huge capital flights in hard currencies at the detriment of us. So we should stop deceiving ourselves as I say here that Nigeria is not yet a truly independent country.”

“In the confusion of mis-governance system that have been long foisted on the people, one can say to the fact that some temporary blessings were noticeable. That is particularly under some of the Founding Fathers who were more sincere far-far-more accomplishing for the overal interests of the people under their leadership which are obviously missing ong the recent past and present rulers be they ruling politicians that I called picksians or civil servants that I called evil servants looting the country’s commonwealth and resources that ought to be enjoyed by all and sundry instead of the few looters in various parts of the country.”

“For lack of enough time and space, I will mention only one of the great instance of the Founding Fathers in person of late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo, SAN, who transformed the Western Region with massive agriculture and farms settlements with some mechanization that massively-produced food security, forestries, agro-plantations and exportable cash crops, such as cocoa, coffee, cashew, etc., thereby generating hard currency incomes then making Nigeria currency far better and higher than USA Dollars. Also, Pa Awo ensured free education enabling children (including my humble-sell) to be educated be you Yoruba, Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, and other tribes, in as much as you lived in the then Western Region. Pa Awo created huge industrialization in Ikeja, Ogba, Ilupeju, Oshodi, Isolo, Ibadan, and many other locations, creating gainful employments for all. In Africa, he initiated many firsts in several good things for the people like the first Radio and Television Stations, first 25 Storeys-Cocoa House, in Ibadan as headquarters of the Region and first Region to have Embassy in London which Nigeria still use till today as Nigeria House in UK. Other Founding Fathers tried their best in beneficially-competing with Awo’s legacies for developments in their various Regions such as Alhaji Ahmadu Bello in the North with groundnuts pyramid in Kano, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in the East with large palm trees’ plantations.”

“Unfortunately, all those meaningful developmental competitions and mutual growths were truncated and submerged by military incursion into the slippery slope of politics with bloody-deadly-coup in 1965 with killings of many souls and another counter-coup in 1966 From that moments, a monumental jackboots dictatorship with the barrels of the guns became the order of the day with, of course, in collaborations with their civillan counterpart with whom they jointly and severally diverted the country’s resources and looted the public funds. They diverted meaningful developmental milestones mentioned above, which Nigeria still suffer the pains and pangs to-date.”

“More regrettably, those who abused the military process for their gain even resisted our tasky efforts in ending military regimes and installing democracy. Yet the democracy we fought for, they still infiltrated it with the likes of former military Head of State (1976-1979) the Retired.Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo becoming President for 8 years (1999-2007) and later another former military Head of State (1983-1985) Rtd.Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari also wasted another 8 years of Nigerians as civilian President between 2015-2023 last year. See that contradiction personified in them!!”

“Dangerously-Indeed, from both the two wings of the mis-ruling classes of both military and civilian regimes in Nigeria, the bottom line of our experience with them have been their condemnable corruptions-upon-corruptions thereby manipulating what ought to be overall blessings into obvious curses from the hard-working people they have turned into “monkeys dey work, baboons dey chop.”

SOLUTIONS:

“From the foregoing analysis, our main basic solutions can never ever rest on relying on failed rulers past or present, but should rest on all of us the masses of our people to change our attitudes and engage in peaceful-revolutionary struggles that would transform the country and make governance very-very-less expensive and even unattractive to the coters in and out of governance. We must urgently take this issue so serious beyond being cajoled with ethnic sentiments, religious bigotry or being deceived with token amounts of money from their continued scamming of your blessed destiny so that we have sustainably- massive advancements of various nooks and crannies of the country for the masses huge overall benefits as against the few cursed rulers selfish gains.”

“Enough is Enough of Cursed Rulers in our Country Blessed With Abundant Human and Natural Resources!!!”

In a similar manner,  AMPEF president,  Comrade Saviour Iche, demonstrated the situation of Nigeria’s independence with his attire describing it as bondage because the people who still gave Nigeria independence are still controlling it and that was why Nigeria has been stagnant with corrupt leadership over the years.

The climax of the event was the giving of patronship of AMPEF to Dr Gbajumo,  Comrade Olusegun Adeekon and others.