Since its inception, Nigeria has been renowned for its vast natural resources hidden beneath its soil. Nigeria is not only blessed with these natural resources but also with fertile lands, a favorable climate, and a suitable topography. It was these very qualities that attracted the British to this peaceful nation, eventually leading to colonization. During this period, Nigerians were treated like slaves, subjected to harsh treatment, derogatory names, and rampant exploitation. It was a time of hardship when the sons of the soil were reduced to mere puppets.
Fortunately, that era came to an end, and we were granted independence and self-governance. This was a moment we had long awaited, a time when we envisioned a bright and hopeful future, a society founded on egalitarian principles, free from exploitation and famished leaders. This was the Nigeria its inhabitants had dreamed of.
Sadly, the adage “Man proposes, God disposes” held true, and our expectations, the ones we never expected to face, ironically became our reality. A situational irony, indeed. Corruption became the norm, with national wealth being referred to as “national cake,” something to be consumed as much as one could get away with. The people are suffering immensely on their own land, the land of the giant of Africa, where they have a right to fundamental human rights. Minors become descendants of beggars, while fear of the unknown becomes everyone’s Achilles heel due to the insecurity fostered by the so-called shepherds of the country. Malnutrition is rated as one of the leading causes of death, more than epidemics, in a country gifted with fertile soil and an abundance of mineral resources, enough to sustain an entire nation for millennia.
The rate at which our national wealth is being syphoned off to foreign lands is increasing and alarming day by day, directly or indirectly impacting the country’s economy. But who cares? Everyone is fighting for their own and their family’s survival, not for the general welfare. They put history aside, never once considering what these people (the foreigners) have done to their predecessors, their forerunners, exemplifying the saying “humans are naturally selfish.”
This act of selfishness, it can be said, is an innate characteristic that consumed the British, leading them to colonize us, and that consumes our so-called shepherds, making them care less about their roles, duties, and responsibilities, giving rise to the trilemmatic question that you, I, and other Nigerians ponder: are we in a colonial, neocolonial, or post-colonial era?
By Barokah Abubakr
