As we celebrate yet another, by now almost meaningless, (depends on how you look at it) Independence Day, Nigerians will be deafened by rhetoric, insincerity and more empty promises. There will be parties all over the world and all kinds of expensive jamborees, especially in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
As we celebrate yet another, by now almost meaningless, (depends on how you look at it) Independence Day, Nigerians will be deafened by rhetoric, insincerity and more empty promises. There will be parties all over the world and all kinds of expensive jamborees, especially in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja
The President and all the State Governors will appear in their finest at rallies, and over loudspeakers, dressed in their babarigas, agbadas and feathered caps, robotically reading from prepared speeches, mutter the usual inanities , reading long patriotic messages that we have been hearing for the past 48 years – “we will do this, we will do that; we are on course; there’s light at the end of the tunnelâ€Â, and promise heaven and earth and assure us that they are looking after our interests (and not their pockets). Even the clueless Local Government Chairmen and women will get in on the act. Obasanjo, Odili, Ibori, Kalu, Igbinedion, Akume, Yerima, Dariye, Nnamani, Alamieyesigha, Ladoja, Boni Haruna and the whole corrupt lot of them sent similar messages over the last eight years, and we all know what has changed or not changed. A lot of the current governors will send the same messages on 1st October, but we know they are talking from the sides of their mouths, pretending to be righteous, and waxing lyrical. Nothing will change after the expensive parties, and they are back in their offices the next day, plotting to steal our money, subjecting us to more sufferings and causing death and misery to our people.
Anyway, that is their problem, or is it?. I hardly listen to them anymore.
It is on the back of this Independence Day that I would like to regale my countrymen with some historical journey and facts about our country. This is my own way of celebrating our independence. While we may have gained independence from the British in 1960, the last forty-eight years has certainly not been independent to the majority of Nigerians, because we are still enslaved to a small cabal of ingeniously evil, corrupt, selfish, greedy, mad and murderous people in power, who have brought us to our knees.
Hence I reproduce some of our history. The article was written by Peter De Iongh in History Today, December 1964. This will be in two parts as it is a rather long article. I collect rare books, articles, magazines relating to Nigeria’s early beginnings and I am proud to say I have a sizeable collection of these, which I have found to be precious. Some of them are so old they are falling to pieces and have to be specially preserved. I will from time to time extract from this collection to help history students and those others who may be interested in knowing how we arrived as a country, because I do not believe I should keep this knowledge to myself.
CSN: 69430-2008-16-03
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