Nigeria @59: Can we say we are better off today ? – Politicians

Benin – Chief Dan Orbih, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo, says the 59 years anniversary of the country should be a time of reflection for all Nigerians.

Orbih said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Monday.

Nigeria, he said,  should celebrate the Independence Day and reflect on how the country had fared as an independent nation.

He added that the idea of nationalists fighting for independence was not just a struggle for political emancipation but also for resource control.

Orbih added that there was a growing feeling that Nigeria as a country had not managed itself well enough to meet the aspirations of the people.

“Can we say we are better off today than where we were before independence?

“Regrettably, we still have lots to do in the areas of security, education, health, roads and public accountability,” he said.

Similarly, Mr Johnson Erijo, Special Adviser on Project Implementation to the Delta Government, said Nigeria had every reason to celebrate at 59.

Erijo said the country had made tremendous progress, improvement and development since the return of democracy.

He, however, said that the major challenge before the country was the lack of patriotism, adding that some Nigerians still cleave to their ethnic nationalities.

Erijo stressed that there was no spirit of patriotism among the citizens as they were still very divided.

Chief Anselm Ojezua, the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said that Nigeria’s 59th anniversary came with mixed feelings.

Ojezua said he was grateful that Nigeria had survived as a nation through the years, adding that democracy had thrived uninterrupted for 20 years.

This, he said, was significant and heartwarming but noted that the country ought to to developed beyond its present pace.

“However, we are not even close to where we ought to be as a nation in spite of the huge human and natural resources available.

“We are not self sufficient, rather, we are a debtor nation with little or no prospects for economic recovery.

“We must put our thinking cap on and be more visionary in our planning rather than the ad-hoc approach currently being deployed,” he said. (NAN)