Building A Better Country

Nigeria, my country. Nigeria, the self proclaimed giant of Africa. Arguably, Nigeria was once the giant of Africa, dominating the continent in various sectors beyond just its population. But now, things have changed, anyone who calls Nigeria the giant of Africa might not be taken seriously. Nigeria has lost its title as the giant of Africa, thanks to bad governance. Nigeria, despite being rich in resources, has struggled to develop as a nation due to widespread poverty, corruption, political, social unrest and cultural differences. The country has not reached the level of development that was once expected of it and continues to face many challenges.

Nigeria gained independence in 1960, and during the colonial era, many political agitators fought tirelessly for the freedom of the people and independence of the country. In their defense, Nigeria shouldn't be under the power of political masters. They believed that Nigerians should be ruled by Nigerians, and not the political masters. This fight for self governance can be linked to the Negritude movement. Negritude is a literary movement that started among the French and Caribbean writers in the early 1920s to 1960s. Through their works, the pioneers of the Negritude movement fought for the freedom and independence of African countries.

Just like the pioneers of Negritude movement, Nigerian forefronters who agitated for freedom and also used their works and made great sacrifices to fight for the independence of the country. Finally, their wishes came through in 1960 when the country gained independence. It was a historic moment. Now, the big question is; was it a good thing? I mean, it's a a complex issue. There are different perspectives . On one hand, it is good that we gained freedom from our colonial masters, and that we are no longer slaves in our land. However, why does it seem that things would've been way better if we were still being ruled by the colonial masters? We gained independence 64 years ago, but the country is in a worst state with no signs of getting better.

According to Gbemisola Adeoti, “Nigeria is a giant whale that swallows the sinker with hook line and bait. Aborting the dreams of a good catch.” The literal interpretation of this is that Nigeria is a place where dreams are crushed. It is disheartening that we live in a country where people dream big, but their dreams often end up getting crushed by the government and other factors. A nation where people aspire to be great, but wake up to see the harsh truth.

While some people argue that Nigeria is damaged beyond repair, others still hold on to a glimmer of hope. If we want to see positive changes, there are numerous areas that needs improvement.

To start with, one of the important areas that needs to be improved in Nigeria is the electricity sector. I'm not certain how true this is, but I always hear stories that Nigeria supplies electricity to some other African countries. It is quite unbelievable to hear that Nigeria supplies electricity to other African countries while our own electricity is in a terrible state. Here in my country, so many states suffer from the lack of electricity. Here in my state where I study, the electricity supply is nothing to write home about. It is far beyond satisfactory. A student area should always be beaming with electricity. Sadly, the reverse is the case. Unfortunately , this is the case in so many countries in Nigeria. he irony? The government are planning to remove electricity subsidy, thereby increasing electricity bill. With this, it is evident that one of the areas in which the country needs amendment is the electricity sector.

Moving on, I strongly believe that Nigeria needs a change of government. In my opinion, more than 60 percent of the country's problems will get fixed if there is a change of government and someone responsible comes in. “Youths are the leaders of tomorrow and that is why they must be well trained and protected.” The big question is; when exactly is tomorrow? It is sad to see that for the past 20 years the political sectors have been dominated by elderly individuals, leaving no place for the youths. They’ve soiled the country, and filled the political sector with corruption. Nigeria’s biggest problem lies in the political sector. The leaders are sucking the country dry. A change of government would be a step in the right direction.

Also, Nigeria needs a change in other sectors such as good roads, schools and the health sector.

Thanks for reading.

This is my submission to the Inleo prompt suggestion for the month of April. The topic is: Does your town need better roads? More art? A change of government? How do you think your town, city or country could improve?

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