Independence DayWhy at 55, Nigeria is finally worth celebrating
October 1st is a day for joy and celebrations for us Nigerians,
whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in because it is the day,
55 years ago; we liberated ourselves from the shackles of colonialism
and began our long march to nationhood and to greatness.




“October 1st is a day for
joy and celebrations for us Nigerians, whatever the circumstances we
find ourselves in because it is the day, 55 years ago; we liberated
ourselves from the shackles of colonialism and began our long march to
nationhood and to greatness.” – Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria
This was the opening paragraph of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Independence Day speech on October 1, 2015, and it gives suitable reasons why Nigeria’s freedom should always be celebrated.
However, before now, Nigeria’s Independence Days were affairs filled with gloom and pessimism for many of its citizens.
The
country seemed to be slipping backwards and backwards on the progress
scale and every October 1, which marked a new year, made this decline
seem more obvious with many Nigerians left asking “What are we
celebrating?”
Nevertheless,
the past one year has left citizens with reasons to celebrate and hope
that the country might have finally begun its march to greatness.
One such reason for celebration is the successful conduct of Nigeria’s 2015 general elections. The entire world predicted and was waiting for an eruption of violence which would divide the country for good.
However, against all odds, Nigeria’s most anticipated elections were peaceful and largely free and fair.
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s
concession of defeat to Buhari came as a pleasant surprise and put the
country in a favourable light for the first time in many years.
Buhari’s presidency was ushered in along with the hopes and expectations of Nigerians that, as promised by the All Progressives Congress (APC), things would finally change.
The president got to work immediately on the Boko Haram insurgency and after a series of security summits and conferences, it seems that the Nigerian military is finally making progress in the war against terror.
The
improvement in electricity generation has also come as a pleasant
surprise to citizens as most people now enjoy steady power supply and
have no need to fuel their generators.
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